Citizens’ Committee for Children’s (CCC) YouthAction Community Leadership Course (YCLC) is a youth advocacy training program for high school students from New York City. CCC is a seventy-four year old independent child advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure that every child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe. Since 1999, YouthAction NYC has introduced aspiring young leaders to civic engagement and advocacy opportunities.

During this ten-week advocacy training program, YCLC participants meet once a week after school to research and analyze youth issues, and to develop policy and budgetary recommendations to improve the lives of young people in New York City. This semester, the YCLC focused on youth voice in NYC, specifically looking at Borough Student Advisory Councils (BSACs), NYC Service Youth Leadership Councils (YLCs), Participatory Budgeting, and Community Boards. Students surveyed 230 New York City youth, ages 13 – 19 to get their opinions and also visited programs and agencies that provide youth with the opportunity to weigh in on policy discussions that affect their lives.