Mission

To close the gender gap at all levels of government leadership. 1st Amendment-1st Vote, Inc. offers high school girls a non-partisan opportunity to engage in the democratic process, and to imagine themselves in elected office or professional government-related positions.

Dear Friends:

HELLO on this October day from 1st Amendment-1st Vote. This is a “help-us-start-the-school-year” appeal for this innovative, ground-breaking program that prepares teen girls for leadership roles in government. We’ve made steady progress over the past five years and your donation supports program expenses ($430/student) for future leaders to participate this school year. Should you be inspired by our mission to make a gift, we’d greatly appreciate it; donate here. Read on to learn more!

ABOUT US: 1st Amendment-1st Vote is a unique, non-partisan program for teen girls to imagine themselves as future government leaders in our representative democracy. We encourage girls to consider becoming our representatives in government; your financial support is an investment in their future and in our democracy. And, as you likely know, women are largely underrepresented in elected offices throughout the U.S. So, you might ask, “How does 1st A-1stV address this inequity?”

Students get to consider exciting leadership possibilities, while they experience a local campaign simulation, interact regularly with supportive 1st A-1stV School Mentors, and meet in-person with women in government leadership blazing trails for them!

• At 1st Amendment-1st Vote:
  We require and welcome cohorts from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, interests, knowledge, concerns to experience our mission of preparing girls for government leadership.
• Participants attend seminars with their peers from around the state.
  Students engage in roundtable chats with current/former women in government.
• Participants work on student-led/months-long ACTION-for-CHANGE projects at their individual high schools.
• The perennial program highlight is our two-day Annual Leadership Action Summit which convenes the entire student cohort from the various urban suburban, and rural school districts served.

Girls who have gone through the program overwhelmingly report the experience piqued interest in government leadership, and many decide to volunteer on local political campaigns, be program ambassadors at their high school, serve on 1st A-1st V’s Board of Directors or Students Voices Team; and all participants step-up as change-makers in their home school districts.

Friends, our government leadership gender gap is closing, but slowly. Financial support from individuals, corporations and grants help underwrite our work toward gender parity (50/50) in elected office and professional government-related positions. While we see more women than ever running for and winning elected offices, representation still skews heavily male. Currently, our 117th US Congress is 72 percent male and 28 percent female; the gender gap remains high at 22%, even with over half the population female! Representation makes all the difference.

You are invited to hop on board with us for 2023-24 and to consider underwriting a full scholarship for one student, $430…or any portion, thereof. Please make your tax-deductible contribution today at www.1sta1stv.org/ways-to-donate.

Thank you!

Melina Carnicelli, Board President