YouthSpeak is a youth public forum that empowers young people to advocate on their own behalf. The purpose of YouthSpeak is to give young people a voice in the public policy debate related to the problems they and their families face everyday.

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Operating on a statewide and local basis, YouthSpeak brings young people before listening panels comprised of legislators, other officials and community leaders to talk about issues of concern to them. YouthSpeak forums are typically held in a policy making setting such as the State Capitol in Lansing. These locations, where policy decisions are made every day, provide young people with authentic civic engagement experiences and provide policy makers the rare opportunity to hear the voices of young people.