YouthNoise | Top 10: Top 10 Ways to Get the Teen Voice Heard

Top 10 Ways to Get the Teen Voice Heard

Change the Rules
Tired of being told "NO"? It's your country, too. Voting age, curfew laws, drinking age. Whatever your issue, whatever your position, join the Youth Rights Movement and make your voice heard. Check out the National Youth Rights Association to find ways to speak out on behalf of teens.

Flex Your Political Muscle
Not old enough to vote? Get your voice heard by working on a political campaign. Or why not run for a spot on your city council, school board, or student government. Learn the Top 10 Ways to Flex Your Political Muscle. Not sure where you stand politically? Take the Which Way Do You Lean? quiz.

Get on the Big Screen
Use the media to fight for teen rights. Make a movie, shoot a documentary or start a TV program on a public access channel. Learn all about Youth Media Distribution at YMDi.org. You can also join the Children's Media Project or find other youth media opportunities at Listen Up!.

	NOISEmaker Kidd says, "I am 17 years old and I run my own Non-Profit Community Service Foundation...I am looking for new memembers and youths to start branches in their states." Want to get involved? Check out A New Way to Help.

Organize
Get it together. And by "it" we mean TEENS! Get your friends together and start a group that deals with the issues you care about. Start a club at school, form a group in your community, or use the internet to start a teen rights organization. Get the facts on what your peers think from Factoids on Teen Freedom.

Mobilize
Now that you're organized, it's time to move. Take your cause to the streets. Protest, march, attend a rally. You could even march across America with thousands of teens! Another way to mobilize is to help get out the vote (even if you can't vote yourself). Find out how to Get out the Vote and Get $1000.

Fight the power!
Don't let "The Man" get you down. There are many ways to fight. Write or sign a petition. Write for your school newspaper. Attend a school board meeting and voice your opinion. To see how other individuals are finding ways to fight the power, check out CorpWatch.

Get Riled Up
What do you really care about? Get other teens to care about your issue and fight for the cause. Start a club or spark some debate by voicing your concerns on the NOISEboards.

Give Your Peers a Forum to Vent
Try starting a teen hotline through your school so teens can talk about their problems with people who really understand. Or, set up a club at school purely for the purpose of debating teen issues. Flurrybabe620 thinks, "It's awful that ANYTHING should need to be censored, especially in schools-we're supposed to be exposed to new opinions @ school!" Keep reading Principal bans play. Post a reply to vent.

Inform!
Dispel apathy with education. Write a book, write for your school publications, film a documentary, or start an underground newspaper. The possibilities are endless. Learn more on the NOISEboard Underground Newspaper.

Volunteer
Volunteering: the obvious solution. But there are so many fun and unique ways to volunteer. How about starting a service project? Click here to find out how. Find all kinds of volunteer opportunities throughout the country with Volunteer Match. And don't forget to come back and tell everyone about your experience -- after all, The Power is Yours!



		• Factoids About Teen Freedom • Top 10 Ways to Flex Your Political Muscle • 10 Ways to Cast Your Vote if you're Under 18

--By Suemedha "SuemedhaNOISE" Sood