What is the purpose of the New Mexico Civic Engagement Partnership?

To better link high school-age community service to school reform and community building, CLPS manages a unique partnership with the New Mexico Community Foundation, the McCune Charitable Trust, the Daniels Fund (New Mexico's three largest foundations) and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Over the last 8 years, we have worked with approximately one thousand youth, from over 30 organizations throughout the state. Our presence began in schools (identified by Pew as an important movement in engaging youth into civics). We identified key flaws in the school based approach to include teacher reimbursement for teacher time and limited opportunities for gathering due to testing and preparing for tests and.

Our mantra then became working directly with the youth and their adult partnerships, in their communities. We aligned ourselves with youth led organizations that were identifying key issues in their communities. Extended training and networking opportunities were created for youth from communities statewide. As always, we focused on organizations that came from communities that may have minimal resources,a history abuse and/or exploitation - this included youth from the borderlands and reservations, urban settings and agricultural acequia youth.

Of the many success stories available, the one that is most real is the relationship building that has developed in this vast state. In 2006, 5 youth groups articulated an issue, designed presentations that were then created into legislation and worked the state legislature as advocates for their communities. Now, this would be considered a success from anyone's standpoint; youth involved in the legislative process! But the jewel was in what we saw happening. Youth from the southern part of the state were introducing youth from northern New Mexico and their acequia curriculum to their powerful Senate Finance committee chair. Urban localized youth were advocating for rural legislation and so on. This idea of a statewide network of youth organizations was emerging right there in the halls of the state legislature!!

The New Mexico Civic Engagement will be expanding its efforts to build local youth/adult partnership to insure young people have greater opportunities to participate in community problem solving, voice their concerns, advocate for policy and programmatic changes, and develop their leadership and organizing skills.

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