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Youth leadership

Mission & Vision

Amplify and empower youth voices to create impactful social change through mentorship, community-driven organizing, workshops, campus engagement, and more.

We envision youth of all ages driving equitable change through learning, healing, organizing, leadership, and advocacy.

What Our Youth Have to Say:

“The impact the internship had on me was so immense, it has ripples. Not only was I enriched by gaining skills in project organization, event planning, communication, public speaking, and presenting, but I was able to make a real difference in Arizona.”
JohanaYouth Outreach and Advocacy Intern
“This internship was my introduction and first experience in organizing, so I've learned volumes about the fundamentals of advocacy, community engagement, and how to practically implement events and communication campaigns.”
SruthiCommunications and Environmental Health Intern
“I learned so much, but what comes to mind are interpersonal skills and can-do attitude. I was able to focus on my professional development through 1x1s, where I was able to focus directly on how to improve myself and learn how to build out my goals myself.”
AryaSocial Media and Communications Intern
“From going to voting rights conferences in Maryland to connecting with the AANHPI community in Arizona, my internship showed me the true power of community building.”
VyPublic Policy Research Intern

Youth Leadership Internship Program

Each semester, we hire 11 youth interns spread across the departments of our organization. These interns are part of a cohort and through their internship, they will find their political home, and gain experience in organizing and advocacy.

The internship is paid and each intern receives a monthly stipend. Interns will participate in monthly cohort meetings to build community and take on key projects in our organization, participate in department meetings, do voter registration, lead events, etc. to expand the youth leadership pipeline.

Interns can be hired in the following roles: 

  • Youth Outreach Intern
  • Youth Advocacy Intern
  • Office Intern
  • Communications Interns
  • Immigration Organizing Intern
  • Organizing Intern
  • Climate Migration Intern

Check out our youth-led events in 2026!

Youth Fellowship

AZ AANHPI for Equity runs our annual AANHPI Youth Leaders Fellowship every summer!

Over the course of two months, fellows will receive training to develop key skills to lead change in their communities. All fellows will be asked to delve deeply into an advocacy topic they are passionate about and explore how to organize through a community action project they work on throughout the fellowship in groups!

Programming ranges from touring state capitol, Story of Self, Climate Justice, AANHPI History, Digital Organizing, etc. and fellows are compensated for their time.

The fellows are put into groups based on their interests, where they plan, organize and lead a Community Action Project from start to finish. Each group had a budget to purchase supplies, advertise, rent a space etc. These are fully youth-decided, organized and led events.

The Community Action Project focused on the following topics:

  • LGBTQA+ History and Rights
  • Immigration and Know Your Rights Workshop
  • Climate Heat Relief
  • Mutual Aid/Houselessness

Additional Youth Programs

Students for Equity Groups

We sponsor and mentor Students for Equity Groups (SFE) on college and high school campuses. AZ AANHPI for Equity provides support for student organizing, planning and supplies for social advocacy on campus. We currently work with AVA at Arizona State University and AVA at Arizona College Prep Academy.

Youth Climate Connection Camp

AZ AANHPI for Equity’s Youth and Climate departments collaborated to host our third annual Youth Climate and Connection Camp in Prescott, Arizona. Elementary and middle-school students gather for a weekend to learn the basics of our climate crisis and how connecting to our natural world is healing and vital for human existence. Together we facilitate hands-on art activities, campfire and nature storytelling, morning meditation sessions, team building activities such as archery and rope climbing, and lead youth through our Intro to Climate 101 workshop.

Privacy

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