Youth Scholarship Programs

The ACLU of Colorado offers two scholarships for youth who are committed to civil liberties.
 

The Civil Rights in Action Award

The Civil Rights in Action Award is presented to a student or group of students whose activism exemplifies the ideals of the ACLU of Colorado’s mission: to protect, defend and extend civil rights and civil liberties. The award includes a $600 Richard Hershcopf Scholarship, established by Mr. Hershcopf's family to honor his commitment to civil rights and civil liberties.

 

The award recipient will be honored at our annual meeting, on our website, and in our newsletter. The recipient will also receive a $600 Richard Hershcopf Scholarship. This award was established by Mr. Hershcopf's family to honor his commitment to civil rights and civil liberties. 

 
Past award recipients have been recognized for their efforts to protect student privacy and defend student free speech rights, to give some examples of the type of activism we honor. However, the variety of efforts that would be worthy of this award is as broad as the Bill of Rights. 
 
Anyone may nominate a student or group of students, high school age or younger, within Colorado. The nominees do not need to be members of the ACLU. To submit a nomination, you must mail, email or fax nominations to the ACLU office.
 
ACLU of Colorado, Attn: Education
400 Corona St, Denver, CO 80218.
Fax: (303) 777-1773. 
E-mail: info@aclu-co.org
 

Nominations must include:

  1. A letter describing the student(s) you wish to nominate, and the reasons for your nomination. The letter must include your name, address and phone number, as well as the name, address and phone number of the person(s) you wish to nominate. Please include email addresses if available.
  2. Please include 2 additional references that we may contact about the nominee.
  3. You may include supporting materials, such as newspaper articles, etc., that would be helpful in our selection. 
  4. Nominations must be received by February 1 of the awarding year. They may be submitted anytime prior to that date.
 

ACLU Youth Activist Scholarship

The American Civil Liberties Union is offering 15 of the nation’s most committed, young civil liberties activists $7,000 each toward their first year in college.

 
Winners will also become part of an elite class of scholar-activists who will be invited to participate in ongoing activities with the ACLU, including the Youth Activist Institute training program at the ACLU National office in New York City.
 
We are looking for students who have stood up for civil liberties, tolerance, free speech, and equality!  Past scholarship winners were recognized for a wide variety of civil liberties activism including:
 
  • Creating and teaching a class for middle school students that aimed to lower the risk that they would enter into the "school-to-prison" pipeline
  • Challenging a principle’s policy of punishing students for writing “gay pride” on their arms and notebooks 
  • Advocating on behalf of Native American youth in the juvenile justice system
  • Producing and hosting a youth radio program focusing on LGBTQ rights and issues
  • Working with school officials to ensure that intelligent design would no longer be taught in the public schools
  • Starting an organization to get teen girls involved in the decisions that effect them, such as policies on sexual harassment and access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare
To qualify for the scholarship you must:
  • Have demonstrated a strong commitment to civil liberties through some form of activism
  • Be a high school senior planning on entering an accredited college or university as a full-time, degree-seeking student
  • Have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the time of graduation
  • Not be a current ACLU plaintiff or witness in a legal case

To be considered for the ACLU Youth Activist Scholarship your local ACLU affiliate must nominate you for consideration. Please contact the Youth Scholarship Coordinator at the ACLU of Colorado at 303-777-5482 ext. 117 for details about the scholarship. He/she will explain the application process to you in detail, ask you some questions about your involvement in civil liberties activism and, if you qualify, send you scholarship application forms and counsel you on how to proceed.

 

Activists who complete the application forms will be judged on the following standards (in order of importance):

  • The strength and depth of the candidate’s contributions to civil liberties
  • Demonstrated leadership
  • The likelihood of the applicant continuing commitment to civil liberties in the future
  • Commitment to academic excellence
  • Demonstrated financial need
If you are passionate about protecting, and fighting for, the Constitutional rights of everyone contact your local ACLU affiliate and apply for the ACLU Youth Activist Scholarship!