About Students Speak Out
Students Speak Out (SSO) is a social network (both online and offline) where teens influence policy conversations by co-defining public problems and co-creating solutions. It is a project of the Citizens League.
On SSO, teens like you participate to be heard, build solutions, and influence change. Teens' contributions here influence real public conversations. We believe that people affected by public problems need to have a say in how they are solved. Without your voice, that is, it's unlikely we'll really be able to solve the problems.
Likewise, we believe that having places like SSO where you can be involved at the forefront of policy and program design could help avoid many public problems in the first place. So, we work with partners to ensure that your work on SSO influences actual dialogue about policy design and problem-solving.
Here, you will:
- Practice democracy, active citizenship and civic leadership, authentically co-defining problems and co-creating solutions.
- Cultivate your public voice; explore your power as a citizen in a democracy.
- Collectively (with other teens) report your experiences to influence policies and programs that impact you, for the benefit of all citizens and especially adult decision makers who know less and less about what it's like to be a teen today.
- Constructively work with peers and adults to find common ground for the common good.
Are adults welcome? Yes! In fact, that's a decision made by our teen leaders. They appreciate a change to learn and grow via their dialogue with adults in all SSO projects. The expectation is that adult participants will also approach the site as people who have something to learn from teens.
How can you get involved? Simple. Check out our current projects, join one or more of them, and start sharing your ideas and experiences.