What if adults didn’t just invite us to the table, but actually pulled up a chair next to us?
Founded in 2006 by students, for students, Project VOYCE (Voices of Youth Creating Equity) emerged in response to the sudden closure of Denver’s Manual High School—a historically under-resourced, majority BIPOC school. Although community engagement was promised in the school’s redesign, student voices were excluded from the final decisions. In response, two alumni, a former teacher, and the founder of YouthBiz launched Project VOYCE to ensure youth are included in shaping the systems that impact them. Today, Project VOYCE is one of Denver’s leading youth-led leadership and advocacy hubs, equipping young people ages 14–26 with the tools to lead, organize, and create change.
When young people from historically oppressed communities begin to question the world around them—seeking truth, reclaiming power, and fighting for collective liberation—they find their way to Project VOYCE.
Here, youth are not just included, they are centered. We co-create transformative spaces where young leaders are encouraged to ask critical questions, challenge systems of injustice, and explore the complexities of power, identity, and possibility. Through mentorship, political education, and radical imagination, we equip youth with the language, tools, and knowledge to confront painful truths.
We understand that before young people can dismantle the systems that oppress them, they must first understand how those systems were built, and how they are maintained. At Project VOYCE, We believe deeply in our young people’s ability to think critically, act boldly, and build a world that honors their full humanity—a world that has not yet been imagined, but will one day be realized.
Our Mission:
Project VOYCE partners with youth to develop transformative youth leaders who are engaged equitably in their own development and the development of their communities.
Our Vision:
Project VOYCE (Voices of Youth Creating Equity) envisions a world in which Black, Indigenous, and young people of color are equitable partners in achieving collective healing and liberation.
“Too often, we’re told to wait our turn, to “gain more experience,” or to accept that things are just the way they are. But the truth is, we are the experts of our own experiences. We’re the ones walking through schools that are underfunded, navigating systems that weren’t built for us, and trying to survive in a world that doesn’t always see us, let alone hear us. And still, every day, we show up with ideas, with energy, and with a deep desire to change things not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us.
Catalyzing youth voice isn’t just about letting us speak, it’s about believing that what we say matters. It’s about investing in our leadership, backing our ideas with real resources, and walking alongside us as we work to address the issues impacting our lives.
We don’t need adults to save us, we need adults who believe in us enough to stand with us. When that happens, we don’t just imagine change, we make it real. And that’s the kind of world we’re trying to build.”