The Board of Directors of the Mario Savio Memorial Lecture & Young Activist Award, housed at Tides Foundation, invites you to nominate a candidate for the annual Young Activist Award. The award this year carries a cash prize of $6000, divided equally between the prize-winner and his or her organization, and will be given to a young person (or persons) with a deep commitment to human rights and social justice and a proven ability to transform this commitment into effective action. The nominees should have demonstrated leadership ability, creativity and integrity.
This award honors the late Mario Savio (1942-1996), who came to national prominence as a spokesperson for the Berkeley Free Speech Movement in 1964. His moral clarity, his eloquence, and his democratic style of leadership impelled thousands of his fellow Berkeley students to struggle for, and win, more political freedom, inspiring a generation of student activism. Savio remained a lifelong fighter for human rights and social justice.
Nominations are due before June 30, 2013. Nomination forms and additional information are available by going to www.savio.org, or e-mailing savio at sonic dot net.
Past Winners
| 2011 | Josh Healy, Christsna Sot, and Ellen Choy | Youth Speaks (Josh Healey and Christsna Sot) and Youth for Climate Justice (Ellen Choy) |
| 2010 | Reyna Wences and Rigoberto Padilla | Immigrant Youth Justice League |
| 2009 | Timothy Den-Herder Thomas and Chelsea Chee | Summer of Solutions (Timothy Den-Herder Thomas) and Black Mesa Water Coalition (Chelsea Chee) |
| 2008 | Julissa Bisono | Make the Road New York |
| 2007 | Christopher Goodman and Patrisse Marie Cullors | Baltimore Algebra Project (Christopher Goodman) and Labor Community Strategy Center (Patrisse Marie Cullors) |
| 2006 | Noemi Ramos | ACORN, Boston chapter (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) |
| 2005 | Erin Durban | American Friends Service Committee |
| 2004 | Jason West | Mayor of New Paltz, GenerationProject |
| 2003 | Rocio Nieves | Youth Force Coalition |
| 2002 | Harmony Goldberg and Genevieve Gonzales | School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL) |
| 2001 | Jim Keady | Educating for Justice, The Living Wage Project, Nike Corporate Accountability Campaign |
| 2000 | Jia Ching Chen | Just Act: Youth Action for Global Justice |
| 1999 | Nikki Fortunato Bas | Sweatshop Watch |
| 1998 | Michael Leon Guerrero | Southwest Organizing Project |
Nomination Flyer
Nominations for the 2012 award are due June 30, 2013.
Nomination forms and additional information are available by going to www.savio.org, or e-mailing savio at sonic dot net.
