The Young Citizens Project is a small, student led team. Right now that team is one founder, a circle of advisors, and a growing group of volunteers from libraries, classrooms, and debate communities around the country.
Adithi is a 9th grader in the Bay Area, with a long-running interest in political science and a habit of getting other students into it. She has competed in debate since 6th grade, qualified for the national Tournament of Champions in middle school, and now competes and judges at the varsity level in both Public Forum and Policy. She is also building a ballot guide app that pulls every candidate, measure, and date on a user’s ballot and explains them in plain language, with primary sources attached.
YCP grew out of a year volunteering at her local public library, running outreach for the events the library puts on every week. The library does the hardest thing in public life almost by default: it gets a wide mix of people through the door and into the same room. That is the model YCP is trying to build for civic life.
Every YCP program is free, non-partisan, and designed for students years before they are old enough to vote.
She also sits on the Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair Student Leadership Board, mentors novice debaters at her school, and plays on her school’s volleyball team.
We are looking for advisors, debate coaches, podcast producers, handbook reviewers, and library partners. If any of that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.
