Get Involved
Explore More Ways to Get Involved
Whether you’re organizing locally or influencing policy statewide, Massachusetts offers many powerful ways to make a difference.
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Student Activism & Youth Leadership
- Governor’s Youth Advisory Council: A 60-member council of Massachusetts residents ages 16-21 who advise Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll on issues including civic engagement, education, climate, housing, mental health, and youth violence. Members serve two-year appointments. Learn more.
- Youth Advocacy Foundation: Fights the school-to-prison pipeline. Visit YAF.
- Massachusetts Student Advisory Council (MSAC): Guides education policy at the state level by advising the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Join MSAC.
- Massachusetts Promise Fellowship (AmeriCorps): A full-time, year-long paid service position placing fellows at nonprofits, schools, and city agencies across Massachusetts to lead out-of-school time programming for youth in grades 6-12. Open to those 17 and older. Learn more.
- Youth MOVE MA: Builds mental health awareness and leadership. Explore programs.
Spotlight: Massachusetts Student Success
In May 2023, four Scituate High School sophomores, Allison McGurty, Charlotte Reynolds, Evangeline Chestna, and Katie Gill, brought their civics class project to Beacon Hill for the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women Advocacy Day. They joined advocates from across the state to call for passage of legislation that would provide free menstrual products in schools, shelters, and prisons. Reported by The Boston Globe, their project is a clear example of how a classroom civics assignment can translate directly into statehouse advocacy — the I AM bill later passed the Massachusetts Senate unanimously in October 2025.
In October 2023, about 75 students and youth advocates filled a State House hearing room to testify before the Joint Committee on Education in support of adding climate justice to Massachusetts public school curricula. Organized by Our Climate and the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition, the students made the case that every Massachusetts student — regardless of their district’s resources — deserves the tools to understand and respond to climate change.
Every spring, DESE hosts regional Civics Project Showcases across the state. In 2025, students from 117 Massachusetts schools presented at four events in Springfield, Worcester, Dartmouth, and Boston, with projects covering mental health access, environmental policy, municipal government, educational equity, and more. The showcases — launched in 2023 — connect students with community advisors in a science-fair format that celebrates student-driven civic action statewide. See the DESE Civics Project Showcases.
Other Ways to Participate
- Advocacy groups: Join organizations that align with your values to support policy change.
- Attend town meetings: Stay informed and speak up on local issues. Massachusetts open town meeting is one of the oldest forms of direct democracy in the country.
- Start a petition: Organize your community to drive change through collective action.
- Support local journalism: Subscribe to and engage with independent local news outlets. Attend public meetings, write letters to the editor, and share fact-based reporting. Learn more about local journalism.
Engage in Grassroots Activism
- Organize locally: Gather neighbors to tackle shared challenges.
- Lobby legislators: Meet or write to your representatives about urgent issues. Find your legislator.
- Host public forums: Facilitate conversations in schools or communities.
- Join rallies or protests: Peaceful demonstrations build awareness and unity.
The first step is usually simpler than it looks. Find your legislators and introduce yourself.