Empowering Youth Engagement: Insights from RAISE Mini-Projects

RAISE mini-grant recipients share their experiences co-creating resources with youth leaders with disabilities, strengthening engagement, fostering innovation, and building lasting partnerships

IEPODCAST Individualized Education Podcast: A new way to self-advocate at Families Together, Inc

IEPODCAST – CHASE Program at Families Together, Inc-

IEPodcast is an innovative platform that empowers youth to advocate for themselves in IEP meetings through a fun and creative podcast format. By sharing their voices in a dynamic and engaging way, students can express their needs, goals, and strengths with confidence.

Self-Care for Youth with Disabilities-at Vermont Family Network

Self-Care for Youth with Disabilities- This short film is the result of a collaboration between a group of youth and the Vermont Family Network.

Thank you to the following young people who participated:

Emily Ingalls, Noah Cohen, Opal Besaw, Joe Delgado, Hannah Gallivan, Lexia Stanley

“I loved going to the meetings! They were fun and it was good to be a part of it.”

“It means a lot to me that you decided to take on this project.  Transition is a really hard time in one’s life, and I feel like a lot of students fall through the cracks.”

Youth Communication Ideas & Tips for Advocacy, by the Pathfinder Family Center at Pathfinder Services of North Dakota

YOUTH COMMUNICATION IDEAS – How to make sure your voice is heard-

The Pathfinder Service of ND’s Youth Point of View (POV) team; Holden Boully and Signy Webb, with their facilitator Mistie Boully, worked on creating a companion piece to their communication webinar that they are currently preparing to record. This webinar goes over communication styles and being confident in their self-advocacy skills.

Tips for Advocacy– The Pathfinder Service of ND’s Youth Point of View (POV) team; Holden Boully and Signy Webb, with their facilitator Mistie Boully discussed resources they believed would be helpful. The youth chose to focus on creating a resource that would be helpful for Peers related to Advocacy.

Transportation-Youth Advisory Board at the Federation for Children with Special Needs

Transportation– The Federation for Children with Special Needs founded their first Youth Advisory Board (YAB) on August 2024, made up of 10 members. They have been hard at work on different projects, panels, and events. The YAB comes from all different backgrounds and has a wide range of life experience between them. They cover topics of public transportation, city accessibility, driving, and generally the challenges of getting around as a person with a disability and how they handle them.

My Voice- My Voice Missouri (Missouri Youth Voices of Independent Collective Education) at Missouri Parents Act (MPACT)

My Voice – My Voice Missouri (Missouri Youth Voices of Independent Collective Education) is all about encouraging students to take charge of their education! In this video, students share their personal experiences with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and why self-advocacy is so important.

The Teen Mental Health Brochure & the Teen Mental Health Poster at Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands (DRCVI)

DRCVI has a Youth Empowerment Leadership Program in the Edith Williams Alternative Academy on St. Thomas, VI. Each semester, they have 10 students in this program, and they learn about Self-Advocacy, Career Exploration, and Self-Esteem.

The students in the 2024 Fall semester assisted with creating the Teen Mental Health Brochure. The students in the 2024 Spring semester assisted with creating the Teen Mental Health Poster.

In My Shoes – Youth Point of View on Workplace Accommodations at PTI Nebraska

In My Shoes – Youth Point of View on Workplace Accommodations

A handout created by and for youth with disabilities, empowering them to advocate for workplace accommodations using the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) website.

Transition Blog Series, Identity & Advocacy Video, & Self Advocate Transition Planning Guide at Open Doors for Multicultural Families

We Want to be Heard: Voices of Whitmer High School Transition Age Youth at the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities

  1. We Want to be Heard – Preview
  2. We Want to be Heard – Part 1
  3. We Want to be Heard – Part 2
  4. We want to be Heard – Part 3

We Want to be Heard” Voices of Whitmer High School Transition Age Youth.

When youth voice is heard: Real Change Happens.

What works, what needs to be improved, and how to truly be prepared for the future.

What young people really need to succeed: from being heard and included, to having time, support, and access to real opportunities. In these videos we explore how centering youth voices, breaking down barriers, and encouraging adult engagement can turn transition planning into a powerful student-led journey.

Because this isn’t just a conversation, it’s a blueprint for change!

Self-Advocacy Video at the Long Island Advocacy Center (LIAC)

    Self-Advocacy Video

    Long Island Advocacy Center (LIAC) in New York developed a video to teach and foster self-advocacy skills in youth with disabilities by centering conversations around their dreams. LIAC will facilitate recorded interviews with multiple youths, focusing on their identity, independence, and aspirations. The goal is to strengthen their ambition, build self-confidence, and encourage others in the community.