Black Youth Vote! – Our Voices BLACK YOUTH VOTE! is a national grassroots coalition of organizations and individuals committed to increasing political and civic involvement among Black men and women aged 18-35. Founded on April 4, 1996 by members of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, BYV! evolved out of the combined efforts of coalition members to reach out and educate all segments of the youth population including high school, college, and incarcerated youth. The youth led organization seeks to empower Black youth by educating them about the political process and training them to identify issues and influence public policy through participation. As a result, BYV! can boast about their triumphs in reversing the downward spiral among young voters and educating voters who are increasingly disenfranchised and alienated from the electoral and legislative process. Because Black youth under 35 represent nearly 50% of the Black American electorate, coalition members agree that youth empowerment is the key to impacting the many serious problems confronting the Black community. FOR TEN YEARS BYV! has successfully engaged and trained a new generation of civic leaders and political activists. Through BYV!, students, community advocates and young professionals have gained essential tools that enable them to lead their communities to participate fully in the democratic process, focused on attaining greater social and economic justice in the Black Community. BYV! ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES BYV! identifies campus and community based youth-focused organizations and engages their youth leaders on the effects of the political and civic process. BYV! develops tactics to increase youth civic engagement including: civic education, issue education, voter registration, message development, voter mobilization, voter protection and accountability. By building these coalitions, BYV! Seeks to: EDUCATE young adults on the connection between voting and public policy, and how this affects their lives today and their future opportunities MOUNT an aggressive national media campaign that communicates the value of the civic process, including voter registration, issue education, turnout and accountability DEFINE the impact of the Black youth vote in elections on the local, state and national levels CONTINUE to implement long range civic education and mobilization initiatives with existing youth organizations ESTABLISH BYV! networks to keep those groups motivated, mobilized and informed on the policy initiatives that affect their lives
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