Youth have the power to bring about change. Giving students a voice in
decisions that affect them
is what the Illinois Youth Summit is all about.
Now in its 11th year, the Summit promotes awareness, investigation and civic action by high school students on current public policy issues affecting youth. The Summit is a vital opportunity for high school students from across Illinois to work with community leaders and policymakers on issues affecting them. Over 1,500 students participate annually.
This year's Summit theme is The Role of the Citizen in the 21st Century. The Student Advisory Committee - representing 25 Illinois high schools - selected three issues for study and deliberation: I. Mandatory Voting , II. Federal Surveillance Powers under the USA PATRIOT Act , and III. Same-sex Marriage .
To learn about previous Youth Summits, click here.
Previous Illinois Youth Summits
The 2005 Illinois Youth Summit is a program of the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation. Youth Summits were created in 1995 as a national violence-prevention initiative by Youth for Justice and sponsored by the United States Department of Justice through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Last updated: June 27, 2005
Please forward all inquiries regarding the website to webmaster@crfc.org , or use the contact form .
2003 Youth Summit photos by CRFC, Josh Fredman Photo, and Mary Hanlon
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Chicago. Copyright 1998-2004.