Educator Resources

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The Friedman Youth Project is the youth activism and education program of the ACLU of Northern California.  The Project’s Youth Activist Committee, which meets year-round, plans an annual youth rights conference and a summer field investigation.   

For more information on Friedman Youth Project activities or educator resources, please contact Friedman Youth Project Director Eveline Chang at 415-621-2493, x337.

Classroom Presentations and Workshops

Friedman Youth Project staff and students are available to facilitate workshops and discussions with junior high and high school students.  Topics include student rights, educational equity, harassment, search and seizure, first amendment rights, surveillance, immigration, death penalty, affirmative action, reproductive rights, and almost any controversial subject with a civil liberties or civil rights component.  Three weeks’ advance notice is requested. Request a presentation by filling out the form above.

Annual Spring Youth Rights Conference

Our annual spring conference brings together hundreds of young people from throughout Northern California to discuss, debate, and challenge one another on the most difficult and pertinent issues of our times. Issues include student rights, racial justice, educational equity, censorship and free expression, search and seizure vs. privacy rights, police on campus, the rights of LGBT students, and more.  The conference highlights the work of youth actively involved in fighting for civil rights and civil liberties, and features workshops, performances, "speak outs," and other activities.  Although the conference is geared to high school students, programming includes a few sessions specifically targeted to teachers.

Video Lending Library

The Video Lending Library is currently under construction.
The ACLU-NC Friedman Youth Project has a collection of documentaries and television news stories on issues including the death penalty, race relations, and reproductive rights that are available for teachers to borrow for two weeks free of charge for classroom use.  Please call the Friedman Youth Project at 415-621-2493 to get a complete list of the video library collection.

Safe Schools Project

The Friedman Youth Project offers free training sessions on how to create safer schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students.  The ACLU-NC has trained over 5000 faculty and staff in schools throughout Northern California. 

ACLU-NC Educational Materials

The Friedman Youth Project offers educators a wealth of materials and curricula on how to teach the Bill of Rights and other constitutional issues, as well as ACLU brochures, posters, and briefing papers on a variety of subjects ranging from hate speech on campus to the rights of immigrants.  A packet of all ACLU briefing papers is available for educators at no charge.  Our Web site library contains additional useful materials.

Annual Retreat for Activist Teachers & Students

The Friedman Youth Project sponsors an annual Student-Teacher Activist Retreat (STAR program) each October.  This weekend retreat brings together teachers and their activist students to share strategies and challenges on campus activism and build organizing and peer education skills.  The next retreat is scheduled for November 21-23, 2008.