Public Neighborhood Schools as Engines of Youth Power: Building Youth-led Systems Change from Within

The Stoneleigh Foundation joins BOLT for a conversation on how public neighborhood schools can serve as engines of youth power and sites for youth-led systems change. In this video, BOLT shares how it partners with public high schools in the School District of Philadelphia to build a sustainable, scalable model for youth leadership rooted in students’ lived experiences, school communities, and neighborhood realities. The conversation explores what it takes to move beyond youth participation toward real youth power, where students are supported to identify issues, lead their peers, influence decisions, and organize for change within their schools and communities. The panel features BOLT’s leadership, program staff, and alumni perspective, offering a grounded look at how youth leadership is designed, practiced, and sustained across schools. Speakers discuss the role of grassroots school partnerships, the organizational systems needed to scale this work, and what adults, educators, funders, and community partners can do to better support young people as leaders today. BOLT Speakers Hillary Do, Founder & Executive Director Jude Husein, Deputy Executive Director Horace Ryans, Youth Program Educator Ashley Tellez, Youth Program Intern & BOLT Alumni Moderated by: Mark Houck, Stoneleigh Foundation About BOLT BOLT, which stands for Build Our Lives Together, is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that cultivates, supports, and empowers grassroots leaders to drive community-led change. BOLT’s vision is for every neighborhood to thrive, led by the people who live there. The organization works with both adult community leaders and public school youth to build intergenerational leadership pipelines rooted in lived experience, local power, and community self-determination.