By Veronica Terriquez (UC Santa Cruz)
May 2020
![](https://transform.ucsc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/661-Summit-Arnold-Morrison.jpg)
Grassroots youth organizing groups, growing in number and influence over the last decade, have raised civic awareness and engagement among youth in California’s agricultural Central Valley. These non-partisan groups are making an important contribution in a region where a young, racially diverse, and immigrant population faces significant challenges. The average age of residents is lower than in California overall, and 77% of those younger than 35 identify as non-White. They experience disproportionately high rates of poverty (25% of those under the age of 35 live below the poverty line compared to 18% in the entire state).
Youth organizing groups have stepped forward to offer young members a civics education, as well as practical information on the election process and government decision making. As a result, young Central Valley residents are learning how to shape social policies in ways that benefit their communities and engage others in having a voice. This research brief provides an overview of the campaign issues addressed by youth organizing groups and their impact on voter turnout.