Community Organizing
SBYC members participate in campaigns and organizing actions that take them beyond their individual high schools and towns.
As part of our civic engagement projects, members engage local voters across Santa Clara County through non-partisan doorknocking and phonebanking, doing everything from voter turnout and ballot education during election seasons to deep canvassing on topics like housing, education, and democratic practices.
We also work on shorter term action projects, including issue-based work on housing, labor, and immigration. As part of these projects, ,embers have the opportunity to learn from and work with local partner organizations with local and regional expertise –from Working Partnerships USA, to the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, to AAPIForce.
At present, we are starting a multi-year campaign about tech and data safety in public schools.
Scroll down to see the community impact of some of previous youth-led projects!
Data Safety Campaign
Currently we are in phase 1 of a new campaign that investigates the harms of ed tech platforms in our public schools–we are conducting community-based research to understand how ed tech software extracts student data to sell to ad companies without consent, what the harms of this pipeline are, and what youth-led community-based solutions can be developed. Watch this space for updates!
Recent Projects
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Recent Projects -
2023 Youth Participatory Action Research: Wellness
SBYC youth conducted Youth Participatory Action Research to contribute South Bay youth voices and data to the Bright Spots project, which consolidated state-wide studies of youth wellness to develop better measures to address youth health.
2024 Voter Education and Engagement
During the 2024 elections, SBYC members knocked over 500 doors and made over 1800 phone calls across the county for AAPI voter education and turnout in the elections. They achieved a 92% ID rate, engaging working class Asian-American voters across ethnicity. Many of the voters youth spoke with, including elders in our communities, had not yet been contacted for voter turnout even very late in election season. SBYC youth members were also able to landscape the in-language needs in specific neighborhoods for future deep voter engagement!
2025 Labor Solidarity Teach-In and Fundraiser
In Spring 2025, youth traced their own parents and families’ immigration histories and histories of work in the US, and connected these personal stories to worker struggles in the South Bay in the present. They organized and conducted their own teach-in on Asian-American and multiracial labor solidarity, and raised funds for the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, a local community organization that supports workers to know their rights and gain secure and fair employment!
“Being part of South Bay Youth Changemakers has been one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had. Before SBYC, I cared about social justice but didn’t know where I fit in or how to take action as a young person. I used to doubt whether my voice mattered especially as a young Asian-American. But through doorknocking, workshops, and just being in community with others, I’ve learned how to organize, speak with confidence, and build real relationships. It’s empowering to be surrounded by other AAPI youth who’ve felt the same way—overlooked, disconnected, or unsure where they belong. SBYC gave us a space where we’re actually heard, cared for, and challenged to grow. It’s not just an organization, it’s a space that really sees us, especially those of us from working-class or system-impacted backgrounds. I’ve watched my peers come out of their shells, speak up, and take on leadership, and I’ve grown so much too. I’ve found my voice, my people, and a sense of purpose. SBYC fills a real need in our community, and I’m so grateful to be part of it.”
-Jian N.