Mikva Challenge DC

We are excited to announce our first ever partnership with the Deputy Mayor of Education and OSSE! The DME x OSSE x Mikva Challenge youth think tank is a valuable opportunity for both DCPS and charter school students to have a voice in shaping DC’s education policies and investments. The think tank focuses on developing pathways that ensure every student has access to meaningful college and career opportunities. These opportunities include programs like Career and Technical Education (CTE), dual enrollment, internships, and post-high school development opportunities such as scholarships and apprenticeships. By participating, students will help influence decisions that will set the foundation for their future success, both in DC and beyond. Mikva Challenge would like to extend a huge thank you to the Deputy Mayor of Education, Paul Kihn, and his team as well as the State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Antoinette Mitchell and her team for allowing our young people a seat at the decision-making table and making democracy a verb for the young people in our city! Swipe left to see a group photo and follow to stay updated with the think tank.

The 2024-2025 Citywide Student Voice Council has started! This year, we are made up of a diverse group of 30 DCPS students from 11 high schools, 6 different wards, and grades 9-12. We've had a dynamic first three weeks of council where we've been building community, learning about the work we'll be doing and beginning to brainstorm our plans for implementing and launching School-Based Student Voice Councils! Swipe to see action shots from our sessions.

Follow to stay up to date with the council's progress.

The Safety and Justice Council came to a close, and our young people were committed to making democracy a verb! The council was divided into groups focusing on different program and policy recommendations, which they presented on May 29th to the Attorney General of DC. All of their recommendations aimed to address social media-influenced school violence.

Safety has been a major concern of young people across the city, so the council did important work to address this issue. We’d like to give a huge thank you to the Office of the Attorney General for partnering with us to make this council a success and to our young people for all their hard work this school year!

Our Citywide Student Voice Council worked diligently over the past few months to build their Student-Led Awareness Campaigns. These young leaders researched resources within their schools and across the district to inform their peers about available support in the areas of mental health, safety, financial literacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The council created these campaigns in their respective groups and presented them to various leaders from both community partners and DCPS leadership. As we wrapped up, the SVC gave their final roundtable presentations to our DCPS partners on June 4th.

We extend a huge thank you to for partnering with us to make this council a success and to our young people for continuing to make democracy a verb!

Tomorrow is the day Mikva Challenge DC will host its first ever Youth Issues Roundtable. We look forward to seeing everyone at MLK Library

Students from across the district will partner with civic partners (community leaders, decision makers and issue experts) in issue-focused groups, including Education, Health, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, and Economics, to collaborate, share resources, make connections and co-create action steps and solutions to tackle the issue.

Stay tuned for our event highlights on social media.
Students from across the district will partner with civic partners (community leaders, decision makers and issue experts) in issue-focused groups, including Education, Health, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, and Economics, to collaborate, share resources, make connections and co-create action steps and solutions to tackle the issue.

New Deadline: April 28, 2024‼️

Applications are now open for our Summer Fellowship program. Each year our summer fellows have the opportunity to develop leadership and professional skills, conduct research and develop policy recommendations, learn how city government works, work in the offices of elected officials, government agencies, community based organizations, and add valuable youth voice about issues in DC.

✨Visit the link in our bio to apply!

Mikva Challenge DC is hosting its first ever Youth Issues Roundtable. Teachers, we invite you and your students to join us!

Students from across the district will partner with civic partners (community leaders, decision makers and issue experts) in issue-focused groups, including Education, Health, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, and Economics, to collaborate, share resources, make connections and co-create action steps and solutions to tackle the issue.

See flyer for additional information on how to register or visit the link in our stories!

Mikva Challenge DC is hosting its first ever Youth Issues Roundtable. Teachers, we invite you and your students to join us!

Students from across the district will partner with civic partners (community leaders, decision makers and issue experts) in issue-focused groups, including Education, Health, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, and Economics, to collaborate, share resources, make connections and co-create action steps and solutions to tackle the issue.

See flyer for additional information on how to register.

Applications are now open for our Summer Fellowship program. Each year our summer fellows have the opportunity to develop leadership and professional skills, conduct research and develop policy recommendations, learn how city government works, work in the offices of elected officials, government agencies, community based organizations, and add valuable youth voice about issues in DC.

✨Visit the link in our bio to apply!

Recently Mikva youth from our two councils attended the DC Youth and Caregiver Townhall hosted by the Office of the Attorney General at R.I.S.E Demonstration Center. The event brought together youth and caregivers to talk about how they feel about DC crime/safety to report back to Attorney General Brian Schwab and Councilmember Robert White. Thank you and for sharing space to hear from our youth. We also want to send a huge thanks to our student leaders, Joseph, Heidi, Jackie, and Jani for facilitating breakout sessions.

We want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate our DC Project Soapbox Winners, each of whom delivered outstanding speeches. These students showcased courage, initiative, and a solution-focused approach in their speeches. Congratulations and thank you for representing student voice in DC!

Our Citywide Project Soapbox DC Mainstage Showcase will take place December 13th!

Help us to support youth from across DC as they take the stage, stand on their Soapbox, and speak out about the issues that matter to them. Join us in supporting the youth voice!

On Veterans Day, Mikva Challenge DC honors and expresses gratitude to the individuals who have served our country, embodying the spirit of civic engagement and leadership.

This week, Robyn Lingo, Mikva Challenge's Chief of Strategy and Impact, shared her reflections on youth voice and civic engagement with Afterschool Alliance.

“The possibilities are endless if we intentionally cultivate spaces that value youth voice. All we have to do is create the space for young people to share their voices, investigate the world around them, and lead."

Read more about the accomplishments of Mikva Challenge youth the link in our stories.

Last Thursday, Mikva Challenge's Safety and Justice Youth Council in DC partnered with the Attorney General's Office and kicked off with a bang! This year we have 34 students repping 16 high schools from across the district's 8 wards. Attorney General Brian Schwalb personally welcomed them, and they're all about making positive change happen for the district's youth. This year, they're tackling social media's negative effects on young people and rising crime with some innovative solutions. 🚀💡

Thank you and .

Today, Mikva Challenge acknowledges Indigenous Peoples’ Day, celebrating their rich history while acknowledging ongoing systemic injustices and racism. Now is also a time to recognize the systemic injustice and racism that Indigenous people have faced and continue to face today.

As we envision a more equitable, inclusive future for our country, we are inspired by the next generation of leaders who are speaking out and taking action.

“Age is not a barrier to change” said our Mikva DC alumni, . At Mikva Challenge we believe young people have power and solutions that can impact and improve their communities today.

We are officially accepting applications for our two youth councils. We invite interested high students to apply to the respective programs on each flyer.

Make your voice heard in local and national politics by applying to the Safety & Justice Youth Council! Be part of a citywide community of youth leaders who learn about and engage with campaigns, elections, and local safety & justice issues in.

Want to implement student-created solutions for real change to improve school culture and climate across DCPS high schools? Apply to the Citywide Student Voice Council.











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Meet Ballie!

Ballie is a rising senior at Washington Latin PCS and this is her first year as a summer fellow working at the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD). In addition to affordable housing in DC, Ballie is also passionate about addressing climate change! During her summer internship, she enjoyed summer fellow Fridays and cherished the connections she formed with colleagues at DCHD. She even attended community hearings to better understand local sentiments on housing in the district. Ballie advice to fellow youth is to use online platforms and available resources to engage with advocacy groups and make a difference!

Meet Alexa!

Alexa is a rising junior at Wisconsin-Madison University and one of our amazing Summer Fellows! She is spending her summer interning with At-large Councilmember Anita Bonds’ office with her work focusing on voting rights for undocumented DC residents and gaining priority-status for DCPS and DC Charter School graduates when applying for government jobs. Outside of the impactful work she is already doing, Alexa also cares about mental health, access to higher education, and climate change.

Her advice for any young person looking to be involved in youth politics is “Don't let another person's negative words impact your own morals”

The High School Advisory Council are now finalizing their recommendations on how to use social media to address juvenile justice, mental health and scams. They presented to their peers and next week they'll present to a panel of professionals at the Office of the Attorney General! Mikva would like to send a huge thank you to the office of the for joining us in centering youth voice.

Meet Ares!

Ares is a rising senior at Jackson-Reed High School and this will be his second year of being a Mikva summer fellow. Ares is working with the Deputy Mayor of Education on a big project regarding Social-Emotional Learning in both DC public and DC charter schools. He is currently working on a survey to gather youth input on SEL to aid his presentation in two weeks! His goal by the end of the summer is to network and get acclimated to working in an office environment.

His advice to any youth who want to get involved is to do your research, know what you're talking about and be passionate!

Meet Jamia!

Jamia is a rising senior at Benjamin Banneker HS and a summer fellow working with Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen. This is Jamia’s second year as a Mikva DC summer fellow and so far she has been working on Ward 6 Week events and legislative research. At our Friday Summer Fellows sessions she enjoys working with her peers, meeting new people and the community building activities!

She strongly recommends any young person who wants to get involved to just do it because opening your eyes to the world around you and getting exposure to multiple career options is super rewarding!