Providence Student Union

Youth Organizing & Leadership Program: During the 2022-23 school year, we advanced grassroots, youth-led campaigns and conducted youth leadership programming. We advanced the Counselors Not Cops (CNC) campaign in partnership with the Providence Alliance for Student Safety (PASS) through a well-attended CNC 101 workshop, a new CNC billboard campaign, the PASS website launch, restorative justice and peer advocate training programs, collaborative research projects, youth testimonies and public statements, and numerous panels and public events. We advanced the Student Bill of Rights (SBOR) campaign through a youth-led Know Your Rights conference as well as numerous educational workshops and actions that pushed for students' rights. As part of international Denim Day in April, PSU held a week of action in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault, culminating in a walkout and rally at the State House. In addition to specific campaign actions, we hosted a wide variety of student events and workshops, such as the Back to School Bash, Chapter Launch Party, Black Lives Matter in School Week, various art builds, and many others. Providing various on-ramps to leadership roles, we continued developing our youth-led task forces and school chapters at Classical High School and the MET. We also developed a youth-led strategic plan and held Leadership Team and board/staff retreats.

Well-Being Aid (WBA) Program: The WBA program connects Providence public high school students with emergency funds and resources to address their urgent needs, such as paying family utility bills or rent, purchasing groceries, or obtaining a laptop for school. Students submit confidential online applications for support, and then the youth-led task force reviews the applications and determines which requests can be accommodated. Last school year, PSU received 62 requests for support and granted $13,350 in financial and in-kind support to 29 recipients.