YouthTruth at CEP Conference: Preparing Youth for Civic Engagement Under Threats of Deportation

Research shows that young people truly want to serve others, work across lines of difference, and feel a part of their community but frequently lack access to opportunities to connect and engage. While addressing this gap has never been easy, advancing meaningful policy and civic engagement in 2025 has become increasingly fraught, particularly in communities of color experiencing raids and deportations. When preparing young people to engage in democracy can mean risking everything, how do leaders approach this challenge?

During a session at the Center for Effective Philanthropy conference, YouthTruth grounded participants in national civic readiness research conducted in the months leading up to the 2024 US presidential election. The session included remarks from two education and philanthropy leaders in Los Angeles who have built community-responsive practices to respond to the challenges of communities being targeted and marginalized. They shared how they are ensuring the systems they influence are truly responding to what people are saying and experiencing.