About Us 

In response to recent, widely publicized incidents of social and racial injustice, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties established a Youth Council that brought together seventeen high school students from across Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. This youth-led, youth-driven initiative seeks to address the pressing concerns and crises of our community by providing Club teens with a platform through which we can work collectively for change and towards social justice.

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Council members meet each week on a virtual platform to learn more about the issues we have identified and to discuss how we, through advocacy and action, can bring tangible change to our local community. Council initiatives focus on substantive policy change and are chosen via direct democratic process after research, education, and discussions with community leaders. Scroll down for more information on our current initiative.

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Everything you see here – from our infographics to our petition to this very website – was developed by members of this Council. We are thankful that The Club recognizes that young people must be given inclusive spaces where our ideals are supported and our voices are amplified; where we receive support to galvanize movements that build a shared vision for the future; and where we feel empowered and prepared to lead our way forward as a community.

 

Our Goal 

To address the pressing concerns and crises of our community and work collectively for change and towards social justice.

 

Our Current Initiative

After informative discussions with local leaders, extensive research, and difficult conversations, the Youth Council has narrowed our advocacy focus for the 2020-2021 School Year on eliminating racial inequalities in our education system.

The Youth Council calls for culturally responsive education in all schools under the Sarasota County School Board’s supervision.

We call for a voice in our own education.
We call for change.