AES Press Release Youth Advocacy Training July 2014

Sacramento, CA (July 21, 2014): The Alliance for Education Solutions and the Cross-Cultural Leadership Center (CCLC) at The California State University, Chico are pleased to announce the ground breaking 2014 is the Y.E.A.R : Youth Empowerment and Advocacy Retreat at Chico State, July 31-August 2nd, 2014.

High Quality Learning Environment

The intensive, participatory 3-day retreat will provide high students from several high schools in the Sacramento area an opportunity to both discover their individual strengths, and understand how those strengths can become part of the solution in creating a positive impact in their schools and communities. Facilitated by Chico State educators, paraprofessionals and college students, and designed to engage and empower students to find their voice using a range of experiential activities and workshops, the retreat is designed to help students discover their personal power, find their direction, equip them with the tools they need to be successful and empower them to embrace the power of their voice. By asking the questions: Are you tired of way things are? Are you ready for change? Do you want to make a difference? The retreat will help students begin to understand what they need to do to advocate for themselves and others in a way that will make others listen.

As part of a regional strategy to ensure young people are actively engaged in working with adults to develop the solutions to educational challenges, AES and CCLC will work with students after the retreat to help them advocate for school, local and state policies that support high quality learning environments.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

President Barrack Obama

The Alliance for Education Solutions (AES) is dedicated to being an advocate and ally for all vulnerable California students, and is committed to ensuring that young people are actively engaged in working with adults to develop the solutions to educational challenges. According to data collected by AES, in California, vulnerable students disproportionally attend underperforming schools, in high-poverty neighborhoods, with low graduation and high dropout rates. AES believes no challenge is more critical to California’s future than improving student outcomes at underperforming schools. AES works to ensure that all students in California have access to a high quality learning environments with opportunities to be engaged and have their voices heard. www.AESimpact.org

The Cross-Cultural Leadership Center (CCLC) at The California State University, Chico, provides the programs and the space to help students stay respected, connected and affirmed in their transition to, and journey through, higher education. The bonds and friendships that are built through the CCLC last a lifetime. The space gives students an opportunity to meet new people, explore new opportunities and build a community that becomes their family. CCLC works in partnership with AES to provide opportunities to engage and empower area high school students through a range of programs and retreats. https://www.csuchico.edu/cclc/