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.

Hello with warm greetings from 1st Amendment-1st Vote. 

Today’s message comes with gratitude for your interest and support of this important program for teen girls who have a lot to say about what’s going on in America, especially about “hot” topics! 

This school year we have the privilege to work with 150 NYS students representing 21 school districts and we just kicked off year two of our Student Voices Team (SVT) facilitated by Julie Hempson, 1st A-1st V Program Assistant and Social Studies Teacher/Baldwinsville, NY.

This special team opportunity is an exciting, public-facing vehicle for 1st A-1st V to bring “hot” topics forward from the often untapped perspective of today’s teens. Our SVT is a collaborative, teen-led, volunteer slice-group of our state-wide student cohort. 

Each school year, SVT members conduct research and provide data, opinion and input regarding a current issue. They then organize and host an online forum to interview experts on the “hot” topic. Hear what they had to say in Episode 1 (May 2024), PowHER Cycle: Period Poverty & Menstrual Health, a Q&A with Dr. Karen Teelin, MD, Director of Adolescent Medicine, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY. 

https://1sta1stv.org/2024/05/18/hot-topics-for-teens-may-2024/

SVT “hot” topics under consideration this Fall for 2025 online platforms: 

• How will a TikTok ban in America affect teens? 
• What does financial literacy mean for teens? 
• A cell phone ban in my school? Pros and Cons.
• School shootings MUST stop! How will gun control legislation save teen lives? 

Now, let me introduce you to our extraordinary 2024-25 Student Voices Team: 

Melina Carnicelli

Board President & Founder

1st Amendment-1st Vote, Inc

www.1sta1stv.org/ways-to-donate