Join Spokes

Eligibility for 2021-2022 Applicants:

  • Must be 13-19 years old. If you’re 18, you are only eligible to be on SPOKES for a maximum of 2 years.
  • If you are in High School, you are allowed to be on SPOKES for a maximum of 3 years.
  • Must be willing and able to commit to regular Youth Speaks events, monthly Spokes meetings, 2 Under-21 Open Mics per month, monthly workshops, and additional public events and productions that arise throughout the year.

APPLY

Application Process:
This year, we would really like to live up to the title “youth advisory board” by creating entry points for Bay Area-based youth to provide real-time consultation and feedback regarding our current, online, and future programs. The SPOKES cohort would focus on advising and consulting the programs team on event curation and execution, with a secondary focus on growing leadership skills to develop voice, find power, and apply learnings towards planning and actualizing a youth-led, youth-centered community action project or event. This can be a project or event that builds on what you all would like people in your community to care about, invest in, or talk about more deeply. Maybe this is a youth conference where you invite folks in your community to present on different topics you find important or a series of youth-facilitated workshops you help curate!

This year, we will be accepting 10-12 students total to participate in the 202-2022 SPOKES cohort.

Time Commitments:
SPOKES members will be expected to attend:
– four (4), 1 hr meetings a month (every Tuesday of the month from 4:30-5:30pm PST),
– 1 monthly all staff or programs meeting with Youth Speaks staff and
– participate in ALL of our upcoming events and activities (Fall 21 + Spring 22). Details for these activities are to be determined; if chosen to participate in this cohort– you will likely be involved in the planning and logistics of these events!

Additionally, SPOKES members must attend *at minimum* 1 online writing workshop a month as well as our monthly Under 21 open mics, in order to stay plugged into local Youth Speaks programs. Failure to do so will be reflected in members’ monthly stipends and/or dismissal from the program entirely. All staff and programs meetings will happen interchangeably on Mondays from 3:30-5:30 pm; SPOKES members will attend 1 monthly Monday meeting.

NOTE: this year’s application is open to students between 15-21 that either LIVE in San Francisco or the East Bay (Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties), exclusively.