Youth Civic Engagement
An Initiative of the Shumer Family Fund
and LWV Minnesota
Program Overview
The Fellows program is part of the Youth Civic Engagement Program, which is an initiative of the Shumer Family Fund and the League of Women Voters of Minnesota to integrate a space for youth voices throughout the voter process, while engaging youth in meaningful civic engagement work. Specifically, the Fellows program seeks to encourage students of diverse backgrounds to participate in voter registration, get-out-the-vote initiatives and National Voter Registration Day in September within their local communities, in partnership with local LWVs. The program has a specific goal to ensure that all eligible 18 year-olds in MN are registered to vote (and 16-17 year olds are pre-registered to vote), and to better include GOTV activities within all youth voter registration efforts to improve youth turn-out. In addition, Youth Fellows learn about advocacy as an important part of participation in our democracy.
New grant cycle will open in November.
Youth Civic Engagement Fellowship
The 2024 Student Fellows grant program is now closed for this year.
Applications for the 2025 calendar year will open in the fall of 2024.
One way to support youth participation in civic life is through our Youth Civic Engagement Fellowship, which recognizes these priorities and offers young people an opportunity to engage with their government, with the support of LWV Minnesota and its local LWV chapters across the state.
Receiving a $250 stipend and a Youth Civic Engagement Fellowship Certificate for use on their college applications, Youth Fellows work with local Leagues to design and implement voter engagement projects within their local communities, such as voter registration and pledge-to-vote events, to aid other young people in being involved in the democratic process and making their voices heard. The Youth Civic Engagement Fellowship program also supports LWV Minnesota and local League commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and allows for stronger networks among local LWVs.
Past Projects by Fellows
Videos by St. Paul
Videos by Dakota County
A Conversation with Steve Simon
Join students and Youth Fellows in a conversation about voting with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Learn More
For more information, or to get involved, please contact Amy Perna (aperna@lwvmn.org).
Youth Civic Engagement Groups
There are many other valuable groups working on youth civic engagement. As part of our program, we are creating a clearinghouse of programs and opportunities for youth to build their civic engagement skills and to better connect with our government and democracy. See our emerging list of local, state and national organizations.
Meet Rob Shumer
Dr. Robert Shumer has been involved in education for almost 50 years. He has taught middle school through graduate school and conducted research in many areas, from service-learning, teacher education, and character education, to career and technical education, civic engagement, and participatory evaluation.
Rob has published more than 85 articles, book chapters, and even a few books on service-learning, youth-led participatory evaluation, career and technical education, teacher education, and community-based learning. He has also taught courses and consulted in many countries around the world. He received his Masters in Educational Psychology from California State University, Northridge, and his Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
About the Shumer Family Fund
The Shumer Family Fund is dedicated to the legacy of Susan Shumer. She was the Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Metropolitan State and committed to a life of active pursuit of connecting young people with the civic/democratic process. The Fellows program was established in her memory.