Citizens & Scholars Announces Winners of the Youth Civic Solutions Competition

PRINCETON, N.J. (October 24, 2024) — The Institute for Citizens & Scholars is proud to announce 10 winners of the Youth Civic Solutions Competition, a national challenge designed to elevate the voices of young people aged 14-24 with innovative ideas about strengthening civic knowledge, engagement, and trust across the United States.

Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, this competition invited youth to submit either a written response or a video addressing one of three pressing topics: improving civic knowledge and media literacy, increasing civic and political engagement, or building trust in one another and democratic institutions. Submissions were divided into two categories—High School (14-18) and Young Adult (18-24), with nearly 150 entries received from across 28 states and two U.S. territories.

The winning ideas span a diverse range of initiatives, from scaling youth organizing models and launching civic campaigns to developing innovative apps and creating educational programs. The majority of submissions centered around civic and political engagement, which is especially timely and crucial with the upcoming federal election.

Their contributions will also be highlighted during the National Conference on Citizenship’s 2024 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., and other future showcases.

The Youth Civic Solutions Competition is a part of Citizens & Scholars’ mission to foster an engaged, informed citizenry. By investing in the ideas and solutions proposed by Gen Z, we continue to support the next generation of civic leaders who will shape the future of American democracy.

For more information about the competition, visit https://citizensandscholars.org/fellowships/for-youth-leaders/youth-civic-solutions-competition/.

2024 Youth Civic Solutions Competition Winners

High School Division

Da’Taeveyon Daniels | 17 | Fort Worth, TX
Scale a youth-centered organizing model based in Fort Worth to improve civic and political engagement. 

Emily Gorodetskiy | 16 | San Francisco, CA
Enhance the VR-ing Democracy app by adding features that simulate the voting experience for those casting their ballots for the first time.

David Guo | 17 | Fountain Hills, AZ
Start an organization that integrates arts and civics to promote knowledge and media literacy.

Elijah Lee | 16 | Chesterfield, VA
Lead the “Project Legislaytion” campaign, aiming to bring youth issues to the state legislature and increase civic and political engagement.

Emily Nguyen | 17 | O’Fallon, MO
Develop the “TrustYourSkoolBoard” database to provide transparency on school board candidates, including simplified meeting minutes and calendars.

Young Adult Division

Damaryan Benton | 23| Elgin, IL

Lead #HabEDU, a dynamic digital collective that equips Gen Z with communication tools, blending media literacy and civic engagement through interactive events and educational modules.

Jenna Fliesen | 23 | Spokane, WA
Organize a community youth summit called “Spokane Rising” to connect Gen Z with mentors and partner with refugee and immigrant organizations.

Isabella Hanson | 18 | Chadds Ford, PA
Lead student-run workshops addressing current issues related to media literacy and civic knowledge.

Parth Joshi | 19 | Los Angeles, CA
Facilitate the “Activist Incubator,” a six-week curriculum designed to teach skills related to civic and political engagement.

Brandon Tran | 22 | Morgan Hill, CA
Amplify the work of ChallengeUS, a youth-led nonprofit that runs competitions to encourage civic and political engagement. 

###

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars cultivates talent, ideas, and networks that develop young people as effective, lifelong citizens. We unite the left, right, and center to develop breakthrough solutions that create stronger citizens in our country, and we bring these solutions to life by forming strategic partnerships with an intentionally diverse group of young people, scholars and education leaders, and civic and business leaders—including the 27,000 world-leading Fellows in our network. Together, we’re on a mission to ensure that Americans everywhere are civically well-informed, productively engaged, and committed to democracy.

Media contact: press@citizensandscholars.org