Join the ACLU SoCal Youth Liberty Squad

ACLU SoCal’s Youth Liberty Squad (YLS) is a youth leadership program that engages high school students as leaders and organizers on civil rights and civil liberties. YLS students work on various advocacy issues such as student rights, school funding, racial justice, ending the school to prison pipeline, art access in schools, school-based mental health, student digital privacy, and more!



Youth Liberty Squad 2023


You should apply if you are:


  • An incoming 9th, 10th, or 11th, grader in high school.
  • Available to attend all monthly meetings on Saturdays from 9am-2pm in-person beginning August 2024 through June 2025. These meetings will be held at our office in Downtown Los Angeles located at 1313 w 8th St. Los Angeles, CA 90017.
  • Interested in student’s civil rights and liberties, education issues, and social justice.
  • Interested to learn about matters that impact different groups of people and be willing to have respectful conversations with others in the group.
  • Are eager to:
    • Lead workshops
    • Put together events for your peers related to ACLU’s values, and campaigns the ACLU of Southern California is currently working on (with a focus on education equity)
    • Provide public comment at school board and other public meetings
    • Attend delegation meetings with school board members and/or other elected officials
    • Create curriculum, presentations, and other materials that help advance the Education Equity project’s campaigns/projects
    • Engage your peers through YLS’s social media platforms

ACLU of Southern California is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion. We value people of all races, genders (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientations, disabilities, citizenships, ages, religions, and national origins and who have different family caregiving responsibilities and lived experiences with the criminal justice systems. 

We welcome and strongly encourage high school-aged youth from all backgrounds to apply!

Why should I join the Youth Liberty Squad?

If selected to participate in the ACLU of Southern California’s 2024 Youth Liberty Squad, you will:

  • Have opportunities to create and participate in workshops, ACLU sponsored events, and other educational or advocacy activities
  • Meet and build relationships with other students from across Southern California
  • Be eligible to receive community service hours
  • Be eligible to receive letters of recommendation
  • Develop your leadership, advocacy, public speaking, and social media skills
  • Gain knowledge about the law and how it affects young people in schools and in our communities
  • Network with attorneys, community organizers, and other professionals working with the ACLU of Southern California

Complete the application by Monday, July 8, 2024 at 11:59pm. Selected students for our YLS cohort will be informed no later than August 2, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Irene Rivera at (213) 977-5269 or irivera@aclusocal.org.

* indicates required field

ACLU of Southern California Youth Liberty Squad Application
(for example, she/her, they/them, he/him, etc.)
If you selected "other," please explain here.
We are interested in hearing how students’ life experiences shape their passion to fight for social justice. We are seeking students who have a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and who hope to challenge themselves, learn new skills, and grow with other student activists! (Word limit: 600 words)
*This section is OPTIONAL but intended to help us learn about the various identities and backgrounds that make up our YLS applicant pool. Providing us with this information will help us make sure we are more inclusive when recruiting future YLS cohorts and not impact your application.