We’ve put together these resources for anyone who has ever felt alone, or clueless as to how they can help, so you can have an even bigger impact on the issues you really care about. There are so many amazing organizations out there doing great work, and so many materials out there to help us be more effective. Check these out and know what you think or what else would help you move forward in your efforts.

Download these documents YEA created to get inspired, get started, and get in action!

• Beginning Activist Guide
• Thinking strategically about your issue
• Create an Action Plan to have an Impact!
• How to start a Club at Your School
• How to make a Difference in One Hour Per Week
• How to Write a Letter About your Issue
• Top Ten Tips for Promoting Vegetarianism
• Fundraising for your school club, a cause, or for YEA camp! Here’s our Fundraising Guide for Youth with lots of ideas and tips
• The Volunteer-A-Thon: A fun way to make a difference and raise money at the same time

These are great resources from other organizations designed for experienced youth activists or ones who are just getting started:

• Fire It Up! Youth Action Guide A guide to activism for young people.
• Campus Activism Organizing Guides: How-to manuals for organizing on many issues and ideas.
• Firestarter Guide For Youth Inspiration, awareness, skill-building, and action planning for young people who care about the world and want to make a difference.
• Learn how to green your school!

Inspiring youth leadership organizations

• Youthnoise Find, explore, and network for a cause.
• Youthspeaks Awesome Bay Area spoken word organization for youth.
• Future Leaders Institute year-long mentorship program in social entrepreneurship.
• Green Youth Arts and Media Center in Oakland, CA.
• Youth for Environmental Sanity, YES!: helping visionary young leaders build a better world.
• Challenge Day Offers life-changing school assemblies to create peace and community.
• Green Play Sustainable outdoor play for 5 to 10 year olds.
• Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Powerful youth-driven network of members and member organizations taking action to improve the world.
• Carrotmob A fun and innovative way to use incentives to get business owners to create positive change. A positive way to “vote” with your money.

Animal Rights/Vegetarian Resources and Organizations

• The Humane Society of the US’s Humane Teen website and action toolkit are amazing websites with tons of resources about how to help animals.
• PETA2: PETA’s youth site enables you to make a difference for animals while also getting prizes, finding your favorite bands, and having fun.
• Compassion Over Killing: DC-based national grassroots organization focused on factory farming and animals used for food.
• Farm Sanctuary is the largest sanctuary for farmed animals, with shelters in Upstate NYU and northern California.
• Mercy For Animals: Chicago-based organization with offices in NYC, Ohio, and Dallas, focused on factory farming and animals used for food.
• Vegan Outreach: Information and free leaflets about factory farming and veganism.
• For Teachers: Humane Education and Teach Kind.

Environmental Issues Resources and Organizations

• Alliance for Climate Education: Provides free multimedia assemblies about climate change to high schools.
• Brower Youth Awards: the premier awards honoring bold young environmental leaders.
• Next Generation: An environmental education, youth leadership organization for youth from Marin.
• EarthTeam’s Green News: Read and contribute to this great youth-run, Bay Area-based environmental e-mag.
• Kids Vs. Global Warming Empowering Youth to Lead the Green Generation.
• Green My Parents Youth Movement to seed the green economy & save the planet.
• Story of Stuff is a great video and resource addressing the environmental and social impact of our consumption.
• Citizens Climate Lobby An organization made up of many local chapters building political will for a real solution to climate change.
• iMatter Movement Youth movement to solve the climate crisis.

Gay Rights Resources and Organizations

• Pride Foundation: Supporting LGBTQ youth through the Queer Youth Initiative.
• Human Rights Campaign: Largest national organization advocating for LGBTQ rights with a campus and youth organizing branch.
• Gay Straight Alliance Network: Resources for starting a gay-straight alliance at your school.

Women and Girls Resources and Organizations

• Girls for a Change: a national organization that empowers girls to create social change.
• Girls, Inc: Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
• Young Women Social Entrepreneurs serves women with a socially conscious agenda who are founders and leaders within businesses, non-profits, and government organizations in Portland, San Francisco and other cities.

Social Justice and Human Rights Organizations

• Urban Peace Movement and Heal the Streets training young leaders and creating a shift in urban youth culture away from violence and fear and toward hope and empowerment.
• Ella Baker Center Working for justice, opportunities and peace.
• Amnesty International International human rights organization.
• Global Exchange San Francisco-based org focused on fair-trade, peace, a green economy, and human rights.
• Food Empowerment Project California-based organization that seeks to create a more just and sustainable world by recognizing the power of one’s food choices.

Politics and Government Resources and Organizations

• The Bus Project Working on voter education and Get-out-the-vote efforts. The Bus Project also trains youth activists working on political issues and candidates.
• moveon.org Bringing Americans back to the political process.
• Rock the Vote Youth-based voter education and get-out-the-vote efforts.
• HeadCount focuses on voter registration by tapping into the music industry.
• Students First An organization using political will to help solve the education crisis.

If you’d like to be included in this list, or know of a great organization or resource that we missed, please email info@yeacamp.org.