Youth Voices 

Under the direction of Thomas Guthrie (SFS ’15), this 2014 project created a campaign bootcamp to educate young people on the logistics of running a campaign and promote political engagement. During the government shut down of 2013, Guthrie noticed the lack of young people who held government positions. To address this deficit, Guthrie cofounded Youth Voices with Matt Weinmann (SFS ’15), though the project grew to include dozens of people helping with various projects. Youth Voices successfully trained more than 200 students through the workshops it hosted, as well as creating education materials which were read by many more. Youth Voices’ first conference, “You Should Run,” was held in Georgetown’s Intercultural Center and was co-sponsored by the McCourt School of Public Policy, garnering the attendance of more than 60 students from local universities. Eleven speakers, including politicians and individuals holding other positions in the government sector, discussed their career experiences with moderation by journalist John Clock. Some of the students that this non-profit worked with have successfully run for office since then! Check out this video for more information about the project!