Each year, Empower RVA Teens Educators get to participate in a Legislative Advocacy Day. Educators learn about state and federal government processes for passing bills. They then get to review potential bills and choose which ones they want to advocate to their local representatives in the Virginia General Assembly. Students have also travelled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for policies at the federal level. In 2021, Empower RVA Teens were able to do a virtual advocacy day where they pushed for a state prevention fund to support local programs like the YWCA as well as policies to protect workers from workplace harassment.
One of the main parts goals of Empower RVA Teens is to educate and empower their peers and communities. Peer educators primarily do this through community events and workshops. They have hosted workshops on healthy relationships and the warning signs of teen dating violence, Q&A forums for adults to ask young people how they can better talk to them about relationships and sexuality, workshops on popular media and how they perpetuate harmful or unhealthy relationships, and a forum with adults and youth on how school policies and adults can perpetuate rape culture.
Through all the work peer educators do, Empower RVA Teens is always about having fun and gaining new knowledge! Young people get to meet other students from around the Richmond area who share similar goals and passions to make their communities safer and better. We do team building days and retreats to help deepen our friendships and improve the program. We also invite guest speakers who are experts in various topics to help students continue learning to inform future workshops and events.