National Teen Age Republicans (TARS)
The official teenage auxiliary of the Republican Party, open to students ages 13-18, operating for over 60 years through school- and community-based chapters led by students with an adult advisor; members do leadership development, voter education, campaign volunteering, and public speaking, and can attend the annual TAR Leadership Conference.
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NAACP Youth Council
Local NAACP unit-affiliated councils providing civil-rights training and leadership development for members under 25; high school students can check whether a chapter exists at their school or work with a local adult NAACP unit to start one, engaging in advocacy and community activism.
National Youth Rights Association (NYRA)
A youth-led civil and political rights organization (roughly 10,000 members) that challenges age-discriminatory laws, drafts and testifies on youth-rights legislation, and organizes through local chapters ("nodes"); students can volunteer, become members, or start a node in their community.
California High School Democrats
The official high school wing of the California Young Democrats; members join or start local chapters to work on grassroots Democratic political activism at the state and local level, with access to an opportunities database and training resources.
California High School Republicans
A chartered branch of the California College Republicans/California Republican Party that recruits and trains high school students to campaign for Republican candidates and start school chapters, receiving a tabling kit and campaign-activism resources.
Berkeley Youth Commission
An 18-member city commission (nine appointed by the Berkeley School Board, one by each City Council member) requiring at least half of its members to be middle or high school students; commissioners review and recommend youth services and programs and meet monthly at the MLK Jr. Youth Center.
California Department of Education Superintendent's Youth Advisory Council
A statewide council through which California public high school students (grades 9-12) advise the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and CDE staff on education policy affecting students, families, and schools; selected members receive a $500 stipend upon successful completion of the roughly four-month program.