Youth Advocacy

1. Stand Up/ Speak Up: A Guide for Youth Activists - Developed by the TN ACLU, the booklet is "a tool for young people who want to use their voices to create change in their schools and communities, outlining activism strategies and offering tips on how to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities." [Description quoted from source]

2. Be Heard! Protecting Your Protest Rights - Developed by the NCAC, this is a brief primer for K-12 students preparing to protest school policy and/or issues.

3. How to Fight Book Bans: A Tip Sheet for Students - A step by step guide including a downloadable .pdf that helps students become advocates for their own intellectual and reading freedoms. Particularly powerful is its dedicated section on dealing with the online harassment frequently faced by activists.

4. Kid's Right to Read Action Kit for Students and Parents - Developed by the National Coalition Against Censorship, this resource includes background information on legal precedence, explanation of terminology, and sample letters to school officials for use by students and by parents.

5. Civic Season - A project by a large coalition of museums, historical societies, and historical sites that strives to promote civic engagement through U.S. history and local events. A wonderful resource to help identify local groups and efforts that share similar missions.

6. Youth Free Expression Program - National Coalition Against Censorship's Youth Expression Advocacy program empowers young people with knowledge, tools, and opportunities to assert and defend their right to free expression.

Meet DAYLO

The Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, known as DAYLO, is a student-led, mentor-advised diversity-themed book club and pro-literacy community service organization that was started at Beaufort High School in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 2021 by then high school junior, Holland Perryman. The club expanded its mission in 2023 to include anti-censorship advocacy after 97 books were challenged and removed from Beaufort County public school libraries. The club has also expanded in membership to currently include seven high school chapters and one college chapter in South Carolina, with more chapters starting soon. 

In the school setting, DAYLO mainly functions as a book club, with students selecting, reading, and discussing 3-4 diverse books each school year. Additionally, students have the opportunity to participate in pro-literacy community activities like the following: monthly read-aloud Teddy Bear Picnics at the Port Royal Farmer’s Market; book drives for pro-literacy, pro-library, pro-librarian, pro-teacher books; and distribution of books to classrooms, school libraries, and Little Free Libraries across our community. DAYLO students also have collaborative public service opportunities with existing community engagement programs in addition to programs which they create and curate themselves. 

DAYLO students are often in the position to effectively advocate for the intellectual and academic freedom of public school students at a local, state, and national level as a result of their positive and inspiring work within their communities. This work includes speaking at school board meetings and legislative hearings, as well as participating in panel discussions and media interviews. As a model of successful student-led pro-literacy advocacy, DAYLO has been profiled regionally in front-page newspaper articles and nationally in Education Week, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Book Riot. 

DAYLO is committed to fostering empathy and understanding within our communities and to providing multiple pathways to pro-literacy, anti-censorship student advocacy. These ideals are  reflected in the diverse books students choose to read in the book club, as well as in the various ways DAYLO engages their communities. 

Visit DAYLO's Guide to Youth Advocacy course on READCON

Contributing Students: 

Layn B, Anjali B, Millie B, Isabella Troy B, Madelyn C, Peter C, Elizabeth F, Patrick G, Arden L, Elliot N, Nora O, 

Holland P, Dylan R, Mary R, Kate S, Mickie T, Zoe W