Our Work at the Youth Democracy Lab
Pro-Democracy Infrastructure for Youth Changemakers Across the South
In this newsletter:
We built the Lab to solve a problem. In short, confronted with an increasingly anti-democratic government, young people don’t believe that democracy can work for them. That’s why our team’s expanding our Changemaker Bootcamps to North Carolina, Texas, and Florida this fall - investing in youth power to transform our state legislatures from unresponsive to truly democratic.
Changemaker Bootcamp was born from our time as youth organizers facing a broken state legislature in Georgia. The program transformed our legislative landscape and taught us new ways to break through broken politics. From protests outside state capitols to drafting bills inside them, our journey showed us what strategic youth power makes possible. Now we’re here to share the lessons we learned along the way.
The Original Changemaker Bootcamp
As young organizers leading the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, we mobilized hundreds of young people to protest at Georgia's legislature against injustices like Don’t Say Gay bills. However, we quickly realized these methods were failing in a system that wasn't designed to listen to us. Facing a challenging 2022 legislative session, we knew we needed a new approach. So we took a chance on a new training program: Changemaker Bootcamp.
In fall 2021, we recruited, trained, and job-matched 40 young people across Georgia. Participants learned the importance of democracy, cross-partisan coalition building, and inside-outside strategies. Once matched, these fellows transformed the legislative landscape through policy (improving the outcomes), personnel (increasing representation, talent, and capacity), and process (ensuring our politicians play by the rules).
We realized Changemaker Bootcamp had the potential to not just increase staff diversity or stop bad bills, but to transform the fundamental terrain upon which we organized - rolling back anti-democratic tides. Building on this success, we expanded the program in 2022 to match 50+ more fellows into part- and full-time roles.
What We Learned
The first two years of Changemaker Bootcamp taught us a lot:
1. Pro-Democracy Staff Make a Difference
Trained aides and advocates helped increase public participation in legislative processes, doubling the number of people allowed to speak in public comments and extending testimony time. These young changemakers elevated constituent voices and advised lawmakers on effective community engagement.
2. Lawmakers Are Severely Under-Resourced
Regardless of ideology or district, most representatives lacked the staff and resources to thoroughly analyze bills, conduct independent research, or engage meaningfully with constituents. Big-money donors and lobbyists often fill that void. Lacking basic resources and relationships with nonpartisan civil society or their own constituents, many lawmakers struggle to represent their constituents' interests fully.
3. Experiencing Efficacy is Transformative
Changemaker Bootcamps were career-altering experiences. Over 80% of our two pilots’ 100+ participants remained employed in government or nonprofit work a year later. Why? They saw firsthand that they could make a difference in their state's policies and practices. Moreover, receiving fair compensation challenged the narrative that they had to choose between doing good and financial stability.
4. Early Career Pipelines Are Scarce
While some states offer internship pathways, they lack training components and fail to match students with offices that respect their dignity and support their development. Lawmakers and aspiring public servants need an alternative: our program addresses this need.
These lessons shape our strategy as we launch similar programs across the south.
Changemaker Bootcamps Today
Launching the Fellowships
We’re running three Changemaker Bootcamps in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina with Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, Florida Youth Action Fund, PRISM Inc, and the Young People’s Alliance. Together, we’re in the midst of recruiting, training, and matching an estimated 100+ youth
Recruiting Young People Across the South
Each grassroots partner has recruited youth in their state to participate in 6-12 days of virtual training. We “recruit from the core” of our communities - not just youth who are already politically engaged.
Values Based Training—Tailored to Each State
Each interactive curriculum is built specifically for their state's political landscape through simulations of committee hearings, issue campaigns, and bill analyses.
Matching Young People Into Jobs
Finally, the Lab and grassroots leaders will match trainees with roles that fit their schedules, skill sets, values, and issue preferences. To retain budding public servants, we’ve developed a set of employer standards for the paid roles we match participants into.
Building Community, in their State and Beyond
At the end of each program, the Lab invites participants to join our nationwide alumni community, which connects them with ongoing mentorship and job opportunities.
Investing for the Long Term
Bootcamps are designed to occur every fall for many years, an investment in the strategic depth and organizational leadership skills of the young changemakers building power in each state. Our staff spend their time coaching, developing, and resourcing these organizations within and beyond the scope of annual Bootcamp programs.
- Julian and the Youth Democracy Lab team