The Barton Institute welcomes Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA) as our newest program partner.
YAASPA cultivates youth leaders to be more socially and civically engaged in their communities and careers. YAASPA engages disengaged and underserved youth and fosters their political and social awareness of issues that directly and adversely affect them and their communities. YAASPA is committed to youth economic mobility and provides paid internships and fellowships for work-based exploration and learning.
In 2022, YAASPA created a shared governance and cooperative economic model called the ABC Collective to pursue a bid to repurpose Paris Elementary School in Aurora. After winning the bid, they developed the ABC Community Hub. The Hub is anchored in social determinants of health to address and provide access to health and wellness, civic engagement, workforce development programming, and beyond for children through elders in the Denver Metro area.
About Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA)
YAASPA was founded in 2010 by Dr. Mackey and her husband, based on their academic and career experiences. As a Black race scholar activist born and raised in Colorado, Dr. Mackey became deeply aware of the challenges youth face in navigating academic and career development in the social sciences, particularly within the context of the Colorado Paradox. This phenomenon highlights how Colorado has one of the most highly educated populations, yet only 25% of its 9th graders go on to earn a college degree.
YAASPA’s work is guided by four programmatic pillars:
Academic, career, and civic efficacy
Civic literacy
Civic engagement
Racial identity development
By fulfilling its motto, “Redefine the standards to pull down the barriers,” YAASPA empowers youth to become co-authors of their academic and career paths while fostering youth leadership to dismantle oppressive systems and build bridges between marginalized communities.