Project Title:
Mestizo Arts and Activism Legislative Internship (MAALI)

Dates Active:
2009 – Present

Most mornings before 9 at the Utah State Capital during the legislative session, you will find a group of high school and university students engaged in discussions about the political implications of particular bills.  The youth researchers ask questions about the process of policy-making, the particular legislators who are sponsoring bills, and the constituents the bill would affect.  Mestizo youth researchers track bills, write analyses, interview legislators, and engage in lobbying, and liaison work.
 
Now in its fifth year, the Mestizo Arts & Activism Legislative Internship provides young people with a hands-on working and learning opportunity in a legislative environment. Young people learn leadership responsibilities and develop an in-depth understanding of both formal and informal aspects of the legislative process. Matt Bradley, co-founder, Mestizo Arts & Activism Collective, developed the Legislative internship in 2009 to introduce students not only to the educational pipeline but the political pipeline.