Hi! I'm, Savannah, the Director for Advocacy, and I'm dropping in to make sure that all the Youth know about some opprotunities that are out there! If you have more Advocacy and Self-Advocacy leads for teens, let me know so that I can add them!

1. ASD Specific Organizations
2. Cross Disability Organizations
3. State Level Organizations

Autism Spectrum Specific 

Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN; http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/ ) Does a lot of advocacy work in the USA, and can direct those abroad to local organizations. Their Discussion list is open to Autistics all over the world, and they have a separate group for Teens to join and have a safe, Adult-Free place to find support and advocacy opportunities. They also have a list of state wide chapters here.

Cross Disability Opportunities

National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN; http://www.nyln.org/ ) is a cross disability Network of Self Advocates. Membership is open to those between the ages of 16 and 28, and they have a lot of opportunities to work on a wide range of disability topics ranging from accessibility to equality to making sure that people can find what is out there for them. 

There are a number of Youth Leadership organizations in different states- here are some examples:

• Youth Council of Idaho
• YOUTH POWER! (New York)
• Disabled Young Peoples Collective (North Carolina)
• Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network
• Youth Outreach Union (Pennsylvania)

Is there a Youth Leadership organization in your state? Let me know so that I can add it to the list!

There are Also lists of supports for both young people and their families for each state. If you don't think they have enough Youth centered things in your state, consider it an opportunity to ask them to change that!

Statewide Family Networks (list) Receive grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to Help youth and families get support, Referrals, and accurate information about Mental and Emotional Health. Many of these networks also keep a list on hand of resources in their states!

Note: I'm not reading the other threads in this section, just making sure that teens have a heads up about opportunities available. Carry on!