Capitol Catalysts: Giving Colorado Youth the Opportunity to Advocate for Change

Throughout this past year, students from the Denver Students For Youth Advocacy (DSFYA), partnered with the Colorado Youth Congress (CYC), bringing together passionate students, community organizers, and elected officials. This project was a collaborative effort aimed at increasing youth civic participation, particularly addressing the troubling trend of declining youth engagement in political processes. Our primary goal was to equip young individuals with the knowledge and confidence to effectively communicate their beliefs in political settings. The project culminated in a Lobby Day experience at the Colorado State Capitol and City & County Building, where youth participants, guided by DSFYA, directly engaged with elected officials and the lobbying process. The impact of this project was profound, demonstrated by concrete numbers and heartfelt feedback. We’re proud to report that 66.7% of participants felt more confident advocating for their beliefs in political settings after the program. Furthermore, 100% of participants strongly agreed they learned about the legislative process, highlighting the effectiveness of our hands-on approach. Through our structured program, which included legislative process education, skill-building workshops, and direct interactions, students developed crucial competencies. Beyond the numbers, the qualitative feedback from participants was incredibly encouraging: One CYC participant shared, "Being able to ask people who are experienced in government and politics all sorts of questions while making connections with them was extremely valuable." Another noted, "My biggest takeaway from this experience was that youth intervention and input IS SO needed. I wasn’t really sure how much of an impact our voices actually made but hearing how legislators cared about what we had to say and wanted to listen to our perspectives made it clear that they want to represent the youth in their communities and it’s up to us to provide that voice." This direct engagement fostered a deeper understanding of political processes and instilled a sense of agency in the young participants. We believe this initiative underscores the value of integrating youth voices into the civic discourse, demonstrating how community-engaged projects can empower individuals and drive positive social change. To round off the project, we created a reproducible model that CYC, and other organizations, can use for future Lobby Days, thereby continuing to empower youth to be effective advocates for their beliefs and contribute to a more inclusive democratic process.