NYCLU's Teen Activist Project Wants NYC Teens by October 8

The New York Civil Liberties Union is recruiting New York City teenagers for its Teen Activist Project, a paid, in-person program that trains teens to organize around civil rights and civil liberties. Applications for the 2026-2027 year close Thursday, October 8, at 11:59 p.m., according to the NYCLU's application page.

The Teen Activist Project, known as TAP, is open to teens ages 14 to 21 in the New York City area who are enrolled in high school or a GED program. Members work on advocacy issues that include students' rights, racial justice, the rights of pregnant and parenting teens, policing, LGBTQ rights, immigrants' rights, and freedom of speech and religion.

TAP is built around peer leadership rather than classroom lectures. Participants plan and present workshops, take part in advocacy projects, and meet organizers and activists from across the city. The goal is for teens to leave the Teen Activist Project with practical organizing experience they can point to.

The NYCLU describes TAP as an entry point for young people interested in law, health care, social justice issues, and community organizing. Applicants are expected to be interested in current events and how they shape daily life for New Yorkers.

What teen activists work on

Members of the Teen Activist Project take on a wide set of civil liberties issues, from students' rights and racial justice to policing and immigrants' rights. The NYCLU also lists freedom of speech and religion and the rights of pregnant and parenting teens among the issues members address.

The emphasis is on doing the work. Teens learn how the law affects New Yorkers in daily life, then put that knowledge to use in workshops and organizing campaigns. It is the same civil-liberties terrain young people have been watching closely, from campus speech debates to a federal court ruling that struck down a noncitizen voting law.

Teens in the Teen Activist Project also work directly with the NYCLU's professional staff. That gives members a direct line to lawyers and organizers handling social justice issues across the state, and a look at how advocacy organizations operate from the inside.

What participants get out of it

The Teen Activist Project offers limited stipends of up to $600, depending on a participant's placement, along with community service hours. Members build leadership, public speaking, and community organizing skills over the course of the year.

The centerpiece is Youth Lobby Day in Albany, where members travel to the state capital and speak directly with elected officials. For many participants, it is the first time they make a case for a policy change face to face with the people who vote on it.

Beyond the weekly meetings, members get chances to plan and take part in workshops, trips, and other educational or advocacy projects. They also meet organizers and activists from all over New York City, and join the wider NYCLU network of professionals working on social justice issues full time.

The commitment, and who can apply

The program runs fully in person. Members of the Teen Activist Project meet on Mondays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. and commit to at least one additional day each week, when they plan and present workshops for their peers.

The Teen Activist Project is open to students of all backgrounds, regardless of immigration status. Applicants should be interested in youth and student rights, health, and social justice, and willing to discuss controversial issues sensitively and respectfully.

After applications close, selected teens will be invited to meet-and-greets in mid-October, where they can learn more about the NYCLU and meet current Teen Activist Project members before the year begins.

Teens with questions about the program can contact the NYCLU at [email protected]. Those who live outside New York City are directed to the organization's youth page for regional options.

With the Teen Activist Project application window closing Thursday night at 11:59 p.m., interested teens have days, not weeks, to apply. The deadline lands in a week when Gen Z's civic habits are getting fresh attention, including new coverage of how the generation engages with elections and political information.