December 9, 2022
This week, California 100’s cohort of Futures Fellows—40 students from over a dozen campuses across the state—presented their Youth Manifestos for the Future of California, with support and encouragement from a creative and talented group of partner organizations.
Fellows worked in collaborative teams over the course of the Fall term, drawing from workshops focused on theories and frameworks on futurism and systems change, and practitioner sessions involving research, art, and advocacy. The Fellows worked with a highly accomplished group of partner organizations including CALPIRG, GenUp, AfroRithms, Leveraged Play, and Institute for the Future.
“We are grateful that our youth organizational partners and our Futures Fellows collaborated in such inspiring and fruitful ways, to produce ambitious visions and actionable solutions that build a better future for California,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of California 100.
Fellows drafted Manifestos for the Future of California that included vision statements, solutions, strategies, and commitments. Their 8-10 point platforms detailed their visions for what they want to see in the next 10, 30, or 100 years. Fellows then analyzed barriers to their visions, and used the FSG Systems Change model as well as policy research to create effective solutions. Fellows then used activist toolkits and power mapping to craft strategies and action steps to ensure successful outcomes.
“It’s been inspiring to work with young leaders from across the state. Our fellows have come together in such creative and collaborative ways in order to dream boldly, and strategize ways to make those dreams a reality,” said Nina Parker, Youth Engagement Coordinator for California 100.
Futures Fellows then presented the process and content of their manifestos to representatives from California 100 organization partners. Topics ranged from education (including K-12 and higher education), environment (natural resources and conservation/sustainability), and health (community health and health systems & tech), to civic engagement, community/identity, food systems, and housing.
Examples of bold, actionable solutions included:
- Automatic voter registration for 18-year olds (Civic Engagement)
- Funding urban wildlife corridors and urban natural spaces (Conservation & Sustainability)
- California initiates the transition to full fossil fuels within the limits of no more than the 2˚C of warming pathway (Natural Resources)
- Support cities that purchase vacant properties to provide affordable housing for low-income residents (Housing)
- Expanding choice among health care providers on the basis of identity (Health Systems & Technology)
- Creating a working definition of mental health to guide grade school curricula on the topic (K-12 Education)
- Price limits on university-provided housing (Higher Education)
- California dismantling any relationship to ICE (Community & Identity)
- Amnesty for undocumented farmworkers (Food Systems)
Manifestos for the Future of California will be presented in their final form at the upcoming California 100 Youth Futures Summit on Sunday, March 12, 2023 in Sacramento.
The Youth Futures Summit, the first of its kind in the United States, will be guided by Fellows’ visions, additional feedback from youth organization partners and California 100 Commissioners. It will feature future-focused interactive games, art, music, and food.
Fellows will also facilitate on-campus events leading up to the summit across California’s major regions. Fellows will be partnering with campus organizations, and engaging with peers to create campus-specific manifestos.
To learn more about the California 100 Youth Futures Summit and other youth-specific programming, visit the California 100 Youth page and sign up to receive youth-specific program updates. You can also find us on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter @weareca100 .