Youth Advocacy Summit: Nothing About Us Without Us

Free Community Youth Advocacy Event!

This is an event for youth, by youth, co-hosted by League of Education Voters (LEV), Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL), and a team of youth partners from across the state. Alongside our youth partners, we invite students, parents, leaders, and members of the community to come listen, learn, and participate in the events that students are putting on. Learn from their experiences with school. See what issues they are passionate about. Listen to and honor their hopes for the future. Whether you are a young person yourself or another member of the community, we invite you to join us as we hear from students, families, and community members.   

Throughout the event, we will have interactive tables staffed by partner organizations, as well as a LEV table where students can share what they would like to see happen in the 2026 Washington state legislative session. 

Lunch will be provided.

Here is the schedule:

9:30 – Doors open, guests are welcomed and invited to participate in the Advocacy as Art gallery walk and spend time at community organization resource tables 

10:00 – Welcome and opening remarks: Student MCs, LEV, and AWSL welcome guests and talk about the day 

10:10 – Participants head off to breakout sessions 

10:15 – Breakout Session 1 (choose one)

• Well-Being in Action: Collective Strategies for Mental Wellness (Wellness) 
• Safety, Support, and Action: Substance Abuse Prevention in the Real World (Power & Voice) 
• Bites and Snacks: Maximizing Student Voice in Schools (Action) 

11:00 – Transition period 

11:05 – Breakout Session 2 (choose one)  

• From the Streets to the Statehouse: Turning Movements into Policy for Real Change (Action) 
• Effects of Generational Trauma and How to Handle Them (Wellness) 
• Speak up and Stay Safe: The Youth Guide to Online Advocacy (Power & Voice) 

11:50 – Transition period

11:55 – Breakout Session 3 (choose one)  

• Racial Healing: Telling Your Story (Action) 
• From Fear to Confidence: Getting Involved as an English Language Learner Student, featuring Gabriela Whitemarsh, the 2026 Washington state Teacher of the Year (Wellness)
• Student Voices Have Power (Power & Voice) 

12:40 – Transition period

12:45 – Lunch 

1:30 – MCs welcome everyone back from lunch 

1:35 – Every Level Counts: The Power of Youth Voice Across the Education System - A panel of students and system leaders across education share stories of youth civic engagement. Featuring: 

• Gabriela Whitemarsh, the 2026 WA State Teacher of the Year; 

• Hilary Kozel, Spokane School Board Member; 

• Maddie Sontag, Legislative Assistant to WA State Senator Marcus Riccelli; 

• Luc Jasmin, Eastern Washington Outreach Representative for the Office of the Governor; and 

• Students from the Greater Spokane Area 

2:15 – MCs transition to final activity 

2:20 – Writing Beyond Reason with Mery Noel Smith, the Spokane Poet Laureate 

3:00 – Program ends

 

ABOUT LEAGUE OF EDUCATION VOTERS:

Our vision is that every student in Washington state has access to an excellent public education that provides equitable opportunities for success.
 

ABOUT ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON STUDENT LEADERS (AWSL):

AWSL provides high-quality student leadership development opportunities to students and schools in Washington and is a national leader in leadership programs and curriculum.