About The Issues
The Youth Power Partner Award is to acknowledge organizations that are working in specific areas seen as critical to The California Endowment. We understand that many of these issues intersect, so if your nominee works across multiple issues areas, please focus on the one issue category that is most relevant to your nominee’s work.
We have provided brief explanations of the issues below. Please keep in mind that these descriptions are not all-inclusive; relevant issue work may not be included below.
Health
Health encompasses work that helps to organize, advocate, and build civic participation, to create Health for All Californians. Work under this issue can be focused on improving health systems, expanding access to health care, and diversifying the health workforce.
Justice Reform
Justice Reform encompasses work that is led by those most impacted by mass criminalization and incarceration. It is leading California towards realizing substantial, measurable progress in divesting from incarceration and immigration enforcement, and reallocating those resources towards health and well-being.
Schools
Schools encompasses work reimagining the educational system centering healing, social, emotional, and physical needs of students.
Inclusive Community Development
Inclusive Community Development encompasses work transforming the environment landscape organizing for climate change, increasing green space, housing, and economic development.
How to Nominate
Are you self-nominating or peer-nominating?
If you are a youth leader, determining whether you will self-nominate or have a peer nominate you. Also consider whether you’d like to write a short personal statement if a peer, adult ally, or family member is nominating you. If you are a peer nominator, determining whether you’d like to ask your nominee to write a short statement.
Read the Rules & FAQs
Read through the nomination rules and review our FAQ for answers to our most frequently-heard questions.
Things to Consider
- Consider the diverse ways in which the nominee has engaged in the political process, showed up in a volunteer capacity, acted as an advocate, trained others, or encouraged engagement on an important issue.
- Think deeply about the ways in which the nominee has taken brave action when faced with deep-rooted systemic barriers and injustice.
- Determine how the nominee has shown up as an agent of change.
- Gauge the impact the nominee has already made in their community, and how you envision their leadership evolving in the years ahead.
Rules
- Self-nominations AND peer nominations completed by a mentor, friend, classmate, or colleague of a youth leader or organization are both allowed.
- The 2022 TCE Youth Awards nominations portal is open for submissions from December 1, 2022 – January 28, 2022 (5pm PST). No late submissions will be accepted.
- To submit your nomination be sure to read each prompt in its entirety and answer each question to the best of your ability. Be sure to adhere to the word limit of each prompt!
- Nominators may nominate as many young leaders as they wish. However, nominators may only nominate each youth once (i.e. nominators may not submit multiple entry forms on behalf of the same youth).
- A nominator may not dual nominate the same youth leader for both the Voices for Change Award and the Brandon Harrison Youth Visionary Award.
- The nominated young leaders must be between the ages of 16 and 26 by December 31, 2021.
- All submitted entry forms are final and may not be changed or updated after submission.
- All content may be used by The California Endowment video production team for event production purposes, event marketing, and communications purposes.
- Previous Youth Awards winners are not eligible for the 2022 Youth Awards. For a list of previous winners, click here.
- Individuals and organizations that have previously submitted applications for the Youth Awards but were not selected as winners are welcome to apply again.
FAQ
What are The California Endowment Youth Awards?
The California Endowment (TCE) Youth Awards were created to celebrate the long-standing efforts and achievements of youth leaders and youth-allied non-profit organizations that are advancing health and racial equity. These California youth inspire their peers and communities while embodying the values of The California Endowment.
When will the nomination window for the 2022 Youth Awards close?
The nomination window will close on January 28, 2022, at 5pm PST.
When will the 2022 Youth Award winners be announced?
The winners for the 2022 Youth Awards will be announced in June 2022.
When will winners convene for an in-person event?
Great news! The 2022 TCE Youth Awards is scheduled to take place in-person in Oakland, CA. We will celebrate the leadership of youth from throughout California who are advancing health and racial equity in their communities and take all precautions in place for COVID-19.
How were the award categories determined?
The three TCE Youth Award categories were created to honor the achievements that young individuals and non-profits have made in the journey toward better health for their local communities and, in some cases, across the state.
- The Brandon Harrison Youth Visionary award recognizes an exceptional youth who has overcome challenges and obstacles to battle back from trauma and place themselves and their community on a path toward success. Brandon Harrison was a youth activist from Stockton, California who was a member of TCE’s President’s Youth Council. In his memory and legacy, this award celebrates young activists who are carrying on the fight for health and racial justice. One award recipient will receive $10,000.
- The Youth Power Partner award celebrates non-profit organizations who are cultivating pathways for youth power. The organization selected can be a youth-led advocacy organization or an adult ally-led organization supporting youth voice and power. Four non-profit organizations will each receive $10,000.
- The Voices for Change award celebrates the transformative leadership of youth who are achieving racial and health equity through people power. One youth per region who has done exceptional work in the area of health, justice reform, schools, and inclusive community development will be selected as a recipient. Four award recipients will receive $3,000 each. 1 awardee per region (North, South, Central, and Los Angeles).
What if my nominee for the Voices for Change (Award) doesn’t fit into any of the outlined issue areas?
We acknowledge that many youth advocates work in multiple issue spaces and that our issue categories for the Voices for Change (Award) may not include your nominee’s focus. If your nominee’s work doesn’t fit into any of the outlined issue areas, choose the option closest to your nominee’s work. If your nominee works in more than one issue space, please select all that apply.
Should I nominate my nominee for a Voices for Change Award or the Brandon Harrison Award?
If your nominee has done extensive work in one of the listed categories for the Voices for Change Award, you should nominate them for that. We are excited to focus on and amplify work in issue areas that are important to the President’s Youth Council and The California Endowment. The Brandon Harrison Award is intended for nominees, regardless of issue areas, who have overcome overwhelming obstacles to battle back from trauma and place themselves and their community on a path toward success.
What will the Youth Award winners win?
Each of the four Voices for Change (Award) recipients will receive $3,000. The four Youth Power Partner (Award) recipients and the Brandon Harrison Youth Visionary Award recipient will each receive $10,000.
How can a young person be nominated for the TCE Youth Awards?
Do you know a young person between the ages of 16 and 26 who is doing remarkable things for their community? If so, regardless of whether you are a proud mom, an impressed teacher, an enthused administrator – you name it – if you want to nominate someone, you can. Youth leaders can also nominate themselves for a Youth Award. The nomination window for the 2022 Youth Awards runs from December 1, 2021 (9am PST) – January 28, 2022 (5pm PST).
Who is on the selection committee?
The selection committee will comprise of a diverse set of 10-15 individuals who are either PYC members, youth leaders, advocacy leaders, or nonprofit leaders.
Thank you for all of your inspiring nominations!
Submissions are now closed. The final day to submit a nomination was on January 28, 2022 at 5 pm PST, and no late submissions are accepted.
Mark your calendars – winners will be announced in June 2022 and the 2022 TCE Youth Awards are scheduled to take place in person in Oakland, CA on July 23rd, 2022. Details will follow after winners are announced.