California Association of Student Councils
Student Led • 501(c)(3) Nonprofit • Est. 1947 by the California Department of Education
Our Story
With CASC, you will discover opportunities for youth to develop skills essential for effective leadership and management. Workshops and conferences held annually throughout the State of California provide training in:
-
making effective presentations, facilitating meetings
-
planning projects
-
resolving conflict, working as a team
Students work in groups led by a trained high school or college students to practice skills and to reflect on their experiences.CASC provides opportunities for youth to impact policy at the district and state levels. Numerous bills have been introduced in the state legislature as a result of student proposals. We have conducted programs and retreats for ASBs, entire classes, youth advisory councils in cities, and entire student bodies. At one school, CASC curriculum is taught in every classroom several times each week by students enrolled in the leadership class! No idea is too big to be explored! We are here to help you develop the programs of your dreams.
– Dr. June Thompson, CASC Executive Director
Our Mission
The mission of the California Association of Student Councils is to provide leadership development for elementary, middle, and high school students and their advisors in California and across the world through peer training. Our programs emphasize authenticity, ethics, and collaborative decision-making which enhance learning outside of the classroom by fostering self-esteem and civic engagement. CASC advocates for the youth, provides an avenue for the expression on student views and empowers young people.
Purpose
The purpose of the California Association of Student Councils is to improve the quality of life in the world by developing skilled, ethical, and sensitive leaders of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Values
-
The power of youth to change the world
-
Acceptance of all people
-
Respect
-
Empowerment and encouragement of youth
-
Integrity
-
The belief that people can continuously develop and change
-
The power of the individual
-
The ripple effect
The Numbers
250,000+
elementary, middle, and high school students trained in leadership and life skills over 70 years by CASC.
6
pieces of legislation introduced by CASC student leaders have been signed into law since 2012.
88%
stated that CASC involvement influenced their professional accomplishments.
95%
stated that CASC had a greater influence on them than any other organization.
100%
of alumni surveyed stated that involvement in CASC influenced their success as a leader.
100%
of State Council members earn degrees at 4-year colleges.
$20,000+
distributed in scholarships in 2017 alone by CASC.
8
countries introduced to CASC curriculum, including China, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, the UK, and Croatia.
500+
students placed on school accreditation teams.
Become a Partner
Become a Partner
Partner with Us
-
In 1987, CASC student leaders worked with Russian and Finnish counterparts to develop the Agenda for the 21st Century. The document was presented directly to Presidents Gorbachev and Reagan and led to the first exchange program between the US and the Soviet Union.
-
In 1992, CASC training and support led to the founding of the Association of Young Leaders (AYL), the third non-profit organization formed in the Newly Independent Russian States.
-
CASC youth staffed three Global Youth Conferences at the 1992 Earth Summit and the 1995 and 1996 State of the World Forums.
-
In 2004 CASC and AYL trained Japanese youth to serve as facilitators for an environmental forum in Aomori, Japan.
INTERNATIONAL
-
CASC youth leaders staffed the 1992 Earth Train project which conducted environmental forums in Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, and met with UN and Congressional leaders.
-
In 1995, the Corporation for National Service selected CASC as one of three organization to collaborate in designing and conducting training for national service executives.
-
CASC leaders served as facilitators and recorders for small group sessions at the 2002 Family Re-Union Conference sponsored by Al and Tipper Gore at Vanderbilt University.
-
Executive Director, June Thompson, serves as the Architect for Leadership Development for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. CASC trainers are currently working with staff, board, and members to augment their leadership skills.
NATIONAL
-
In 1996, CASC facilitated the establishment of Westside Leadership Magnet School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Currently, student leaders conduct classroom lessons in leadership three times a week for primary and elementary schools.
-
CASC trains peer mentors for the summer enrichment program for “at-risk” entering ninth graders in the Compass Program at Menlo-Atherton High School. The program serves as a catalyst for the development of class, club, and ASB leaders.
-
CASC designed a special workshop for Gifted and Talented Students in the Mountain-View Wishman Elementary District and the Mt. Diablo School District.
-
Over a four-year period, CASC conducted training for classes, the staff, the entire student body at Menlo-Atherton High School. The result was a more unified and respectful student population.
SCHOOLS
Write a Title Here
CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS
-
CASC provided small group facilitators for the Educational Planning Forum for the Sequoia Union High School District. Meeting skills training was also provided for parent groups.
-
CASC designed leadership lessons and trained staff for Sacramento START, which conducts after-school programs in 40 low-income elementary schools.
Recent Legislation
SB 468 received the Governor's approval on September 25, 2017. The bill requires that student board members receive all meeting materials presented to the board members. Additionally, student board members are invited to briefings with board members or separate briefings within the same timeframe.AB 261 was approved by the Governor on September 23, 2017. The bill grants a student member of a district board preferential voting rights.
SB 532 has officially been signed by the Governor on September 21, 2015! This is really a testament to how much important work we can do at the capitol. The bill mandates each school board must create a student school board member position within 60 days of receiving a qualified petition from the student body. You can read more about the bill in an article written by the L.A. Times, here.
AB 1204 was signed by the Governor on Friday, October 2, 2015. This bill encourages the State Board of Education to add a student member to the Instructional Quality Commission, the panel which decides on curriculum and textbooks for the entire state of California. This has been a pet project of sorts of 2015-16 State President Shawn Ahdout; he had been personally pushing for this bill since November of 2015. The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) co-sponsored this bill with CASC and really helped drive the bill forward.
SB 1422 has been approved by the Governor on August 25, 2010. This bill permits student governments, inclusive of grades 9-12, to establish a committee, consisting of students and teachers, to draft a survey by which students provide feedback to teachers.
HONORS
-
Selected as a model self-esteem program by the California Task Force on Self-Esteem
-
Selected as a model youth program by the International Youth Foundation
CASC China Leader in Uganda
