Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition

Youth Organizing Project

The goal of PICC’s statewide youth organizing project is to bring forward the voices of immigrant and refugee youth. Through our youth committee meetings and local trainings we teach our youth about organizing 101, storytelling, advocacy, strategy and campaign development. Youth leaders are included in PICC decision making processes, including deciding on advocacy issue priorities, choosing campaigns, and representing the organization at public events.

Our work supports the growth and leadership development of youth led committees across the state, including in Reading, West Chester, Upper Darby, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Lancaster.

Every summer PICC hosts a Statewide Youth Convening bringing together youth from across the state for a weekend of community building, skills and organizing development based on the needs and topics defined by our youth. Our statewide convening is 100% youth led – 100% decision making, agenda development, fundraising, outreach, coordination and youth engagement. Read about our past convenings:

Read about the 2015,  2016 , 20172018 , 2019  youth convenings.

Learn more about The Statewide Youth Convening on August 2021!

Some accomplishments from our youth organizing includes:

  • PICC’s youth committees in Reading, Delaware and Chester county continued to meet regularly
  • In 2016 PICC hired and placed two summer organizing interns with local community organizations: Alianzas de Phoenixville in Phoenixville and International Service Center in Harrisburg.
  • Since 2015 attendees from the  youth convening and members of PICC youth committees have stepped into new leadership roles and became our convening organizers. Every year our leadership team works hard doing outreach, fundraising, mobilizing diverse youth from across the state, and directing our successful weekend.
  • Engaged youth in the education justice and family detention campaign, civic engagement and Get Out the Vote work.
  • Hosted monthly youth led statewide calls
  • Youth leaders supported our Youth Organizer and Deputy Director creating the Statewide Immigrant Youth Membership for PICC.