Programs + Events

Student Advocacy Voices Webinars

California State PTA’s Legislative Advocacy Team is launching Student Advocacy Voices, a free virtual webinar series in 2026. The series brings together students, educators, PTA leaders, and guest speakers for interactive events focused on civic engagement, voter registration, and student-led advocacy. By offering this series virtually, we’re opening the door to the broadest possible statewide participation. Students from every corner of California — from the smallest rural community to the largest urban district — can join, learn, and lead. There’s no travel required, no cost, and no barrier to showing up.

Every year, millions of young people become eligible to vote — and California has led the way in welcoming them, with nearly 1.5 million students preregistered since the state’s preregistration program launched in 2016. But too many students still aren’t given the tools, training, or encouragement to take that first step. High schools are the most efficient and equitable way to reach young people and help them build a lifelong habit of civic participation — including the 40 percent who will not attend college.

This is about more than preparing young people to cast a ballot. It’s about recognizing that students have a vital role to play in our democracy right now — and that PTA has always believed student voices make our communities stronger. When we invest in civic engagement during high school, we foster the knowledge, habits, and connections that strengthen democracy for a lifetime.

Student Advocacy Voices is student-focused and student-led, with active roles for young people in planning, presenting, and asking the questions that matter to them. PTA leaders and adult members are welcome and will find tools and resources they can bring back to their local PTAs to support student voices in their communities. Questions? Contact advocacy@capta.org.

Calendar of Events

Run A Voter Registration Drive Workshops for Students
by The Civics Center (TCC) – a California State PTA allied agency

  • Dates (check link for times and availability): 2/18, 2/23, 2/25, 3/2, 3/4, 3/16, 3/19, 3/24, 3/26, 3/30
  • Registration Link
  • The most effective high school voter registration efforts are student-led and adult-supported. Learn how to design a drive that fits your school’s structure and schedule. Develop ways to work with your school community on eligibility, how to get the word out, and learn about TCC’s (free!) Democracy in a Box resources. These workshops are ideal for a team of students and/or PTA leaders/educators to collaborate on developing a voter registration drive action plan, but all individuals are welcome.

 

Student-Led Climate Policy with Ten Strands’ California Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program

  • Date: Thursday, April 16, 7:00-8:00 pm 
  • Registration Link
  • What does it look like when a high school student doesn’t just learn about climate change — but actually changes school policy because of it? Ten Strand’s  California Youth Climate Policy (CYCP) Leadership Program has been answering that question since its pilot cohort, equipping ninth- through twelfth-grade students across California with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship to lead real advocacy campaigns that pass climate policies in their own schools and districts.Join us to hear directly from Ten Strands — a California State PTA allied agency — about how CYCP works and what it’s produced: student leaders who understand systems thinking, environmental justice, and how to move an idea through the policy process. This session is especially timely as California State PTA co-sponsors SB 1048, legislation to strengthen climate literacy in California schools. Whether you’re a student curious about getting involved, a PTA leader looking for ways to connect your community to climate action, or an educator wondering how to bring this kind of program to your school, this webinar is for you.

Archive

Civic Engagement for H.S. Students
February 25, 2026, Wednesday, 7:00pm
Guest Speakers: