Youth Programs (2025-26)

Youth Corps

Secondary school-aged and college students are encouraged to join local leagues and participate in the interleague Westchester Youth Corp, led this year by Maya Barmecha and Eliza Fink.

Previous years’ activities included the creation of public service announcements and calls to action explaining why voter engagement and civic participation should be routine and why voting matters for the next generation.

Running & Winning

Scheduling in process for a date TBD in April 2026
8:30am-2:00pm
Manhattanville University, Reid Castle

LWVW and the Westchester chapter of AAUW (American Association of University Women) co-host an annual, unique one-day workshop to bring together female-identifying high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from high schools across Westchester County for an active and interactive political experience. The goal is to support our young participants’ aspirations to serve in public office, develop their leadership potential, and, at the same time, help our government institutions increase gender parity. The program offers opportunities to learn from elected officials’ experiences and practical application. Attendees may also register or pre-register to vote on site.

At last year’s event:

• A panel consisting of a representative sampling of elected officials from various municipalities responded to questions posed by the students.
• All of the legislators in attendance rotated among tables of students for small group interviews and frank conversation.
• Working in small teams, students created a mock campaign, choosing an issue, candidate, campaign manager, speechwriter, fundraiser, and PR director. mock campaign, choosing an issue, candidate, campaign manager, speechwriter, fundraiser, and public relations director to present with a slogan and fundraising idea.
• Teams presented their campaigns, including their slogans and fundraising ideas. Half of the student campaigns focused on creating a community center for immigrants with resources to help support people new to our country and communities and the other half focused on mental health support for youth and the community at large.

For more information on the program, contact lwvwrunandwin@gmail.com.

LWVW appreciates continued financial support from New York Community Trust (formerly Westchester Community Foundation) through its generous grant as well as various sponsorships from other local organizations that help defray the costs of hosting this event. For information on how to become a sponsor, contact lwvwrunandwin@gmail.com. 

Students Inside Albany

Scheduling in process for a Sunday through Wednesday in May 2026
Albany

LWVNYS hosts an annual, intensive, four-day conference, designed to immerse high school students in the process by which public policy is proposed, enacted, and changed in New York State, and to educate them as to how they can influence and affect this process. Albany insiders discuss the operations of New York State government, including how policy is shaped, students develop knowledge of the disparate forces that influence policy development. Students are afforded the opportunity to observe Assembly and Senate sessions and to shadow both their Assembly members and Senators.

LWVW typically receives approval to send one student to the program and seeks candidates from high schools within areas of Westchester County not currently represented by a local league.

Last year, LWVW sent Chloe McKeon from Westlake High School in Thornwood, who reported positively about her SIA experience.