The APRIL Youth Advocacy Committee has goals that are to educate ourselves and youth in our communities on advocacy issues. We have hosted trainings that are on disability specific laws and skills that are needed to make ourselves better advocates in our work and our personal lives.
A training in partnership with University of Montana RTC: Rural Research & Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities. Learn more about self and systems advocacy, the disability right law and how they affect you, and how to speak up in your community to see change happen. This was led by Mike Beers and the Summit Independent Living Center, BASE staff. Click the player to listen.
Using Improv to Teach Advocacy: RTC: Rural Advocacy Skill Building Toolkit
Training Part 1 Click Player to listen.
{mp3remote}https://april-rural.org/images/stories/audio/YTP1_June14_2017.mp3{/mp3remote}
Training Part 2 Click Player to listen.
{mp3remote}https://april-rural.org/images/stories/audio/YTP2_June28_2017.mp3{/mp3remote}
Training Part 3 Click Player to listen.
{mp3remote}https://april-rural.org/images/stories/audio/YTP3_July12_2017.mp3{/mp3remote}
Training Part 4 Click Player to listen.
{mp3remote}https://april-rural.org/images/stories/audio/20170726youth.mp3{/mp3remote}
Adults might make it look easy, but there’s a lot you need to know before you look for a place of your own. This session covers language you need to know like “tenant,” “lease,” and “landlord” mean, and we talk about the laws that govern finding, paying for, and enjoying where you live. Click player to listen. {mp3remote}https://www.april-rural.org/uploadsbill/Youth20190502Fairhousing.mp3{/mp3remote}
Like it or not, your relationship with your landlord is an important one! We talk about the rules of that relationship, who is responsible for what, and all of the rights you have over your apartment (as well as the ones you don’t). Click player to listen.
{mp3remote}https://www.april-rural.org/uploadsbill/YOUTH20190509Fairhousing.mp3{/mp3remote}
Most apartments are pretty cookie-cutter, which can be a problem if you have a disability! We talk about how to make changes to your apartment to make it safe and usable for you without making your landlord (too) angry. Click player to listen. {mp3remote}https://www.april-rural.org/uploadsbill/Youth20190516Fairhousing.mp3{/mp3remote}
There’s a reason the Fair Housing Act exists - it isn’t always fair! We talk about how to confront housing discrimination, how to solve problems with your landlord, and what can get you kicked out of an apartment. Click player to listen. {mp3remote}https://www.april-rural.org/uploadsbill/Youth20190523fairhousing.mp3{/mp3remote}
After finding a new place to live comes the real hard part - paying for it! Rent prices are going up across the United States faster than wages are, which makes it tricky to find a place you can afford. We cover where to find the lowest rents, how to advocate for affordable housing in your area, and we look at other countries’ approaches to affordable housing. Click player to listen. {mp3remote}https://www.april-rural.org/uploadsbill/Youth20190530Fairhousing.mp3{/mp3remote}