The School and State Finance Project is proud to announce a generous $5,000 grant from the Liberty Bank Foundation to support the organization’s Youth Town Hall initiative for the 2025-26 school year. This funding will go toward hosting youth-driven forums across Connecticut and training up to 25 high school students to lead conversations that engage and inspire students in their communities.
Youth Town Halls will provide spaces for students to raise issues that matter to them, connect with others around shared concerns, and help shape a better path forward for them and their peers. The initiative not only focuses on building individual leadership skills but also creates a statewide framework for youth to be an active participant in shaping their schools, communities, and future.
“Youth Town Halls are all about empowering students and providing them with opportunities to meaningfully engage in policy conversations,” said Erika Haynes, Director of Community Engagement for the School and State Finance Project. “We are deeply grateful to the Liberty Bank Foundation for its generous support and continued commitment to Connecticut’s youth and the development of our state’s future leaders.”
Through the support and funding from the Liberty Bank Foundation, School and State Finance Project staff will train students in facilitating and moderating conversations, framing questions, and addressing conflict. Students will also receive support to plan and host the Youth Town Halls — including outreach, registration, and on-site logistics.
“Liberty Bank is proud to support Connecticut communities through the School and State Finance Project and its Youth Town Hall initiative,” said Liberty Bank President and CEO David W. Glidden. “Part of being Community Kind is finding ways to make a difference, and that’s what the Youth Town Hall initiative does. It lets the voices of teens be heard, and it gives them the tools they need to be active participants in their community.”
Through leadership development and knowledge-building, the Youth Town Hall initiative builds on the School and State Finance Project’s commitment to empowering and elevating youth voices so students have the skills, information, and confidence needed to speak up about what’s important to them and help shape local and statewide policies.
To learn more about the Youth Town Hall initiative, including how you or a student can get involved, visit www.schoolstatefinance.org/community/initiatives.