Join us for an electrifying session on how youth voter registration drives and civic engagement programs are rocking the youth voter turnout!
We're thrilled to have the incredible June Park, a recent graduate from Harvard College, share insights from her groundbreaking thesis, “Teach Me Why and How to Vote, Then I’ll Vote: The Effects of High School Voter Registration Drives on Youth Voter Participation.” Tune in for a dynamic dialogue on engaging young voters this election cycle and beyond.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to make a difference!
This virtual event is free to attend and open to the public.
This event is part of our Chicago in Focus lecture series, which seeks to highlight and explore the most important issues facing Chicagoans today.
About the Speaker
June Park is an organizer and academic for youth voter engagement and voting rights. Originally from Havertown, Pennsylvania, June graduated from Harvard College in 2024, where she completed a 105-page senior thesis titled, "Teach Me Why and How to Vote. Then I’ll Vote.": The Effects of High School Voter Registration Drives on Youth Voter Participation. This work explored the impact of high school voter registration initiatives on increasing youth participation in elections and highlighted innovative strategies to engage young voters.
Currently, June is working with Project 26 Pennsylvania, a nonprofit, nonpartisan youth voter organization, to get college student voters in Pennsylvania out to vote for the 2024 election. In the fall of 2025, June will return to Cambridge to attend Harvard Law School, where she plans to continue her studies. Outside of voting rights, she is an avid K-pop fanatic, USWNT soccer superfan, and crossword enthusiast!
Past Chicago in Focus Programs
What Is AI, and How Could It Put Elections and Democracy at Risk?
Kevin B. Boyd, Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the University of Chicago, and Matt Morton, Executive Director and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the University of Chicago, join us to discuss the effects of AI on elections.
Environmental Justice is Reproductive Justice
Let’s discuss clean water access and Black maternal health. Our featured speaker is Chakena D. Perry, Senior Policy Advocate for the Safe Water Initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Chicago’s Migrant Crisis
Featured speakers Johannes Favi, Deputy Director of the Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants, and Alisa Bhachu, CEO of the Chicago Refugee Coalition, discuss the current situation of new asylum seekers arriving in Chicago and how local organizations are helping.