Meet Our Team

Civic Advocacy Lab was founded by Levi Taylor, Josiah Zaragoza, and Kelin Peraza-Argueta after our work across youth engagement, nonprofit spaces, and civic institutions kept pointing to the same gap: people care deeply about their communities, but the path to meaningful civic action is often unclear, inaccessible, or treated as something only “insiders” can do.
 

Levi’s experience in community and economic development, policy work, and mission-driven strategy showed how frequently nonprofits want to advocate but lack practical guidance on what is effective, compliant, and sustainable. Josiah, through student government leadership, social work training, and bilingual community engagement, saw how civic systems often fail to meet people where they are and how quickly young people disengage when participation feels symbolic. Kelin’s leadership in Latinx advocacy, youth engagement, and community-based partnerships reinforced both the power of youth voice and the need for structures that translate input into real influence.
 

Civic Advocacy Lab emerged from those shared experiences and a simple decision: build the tools we wished more communities already had. Today, our work equips youth with practical civic education, helps 501(c)(3) organizations strengthen advocacy strategies and best practices, and supports youth councils with research and advising so youth participation is credible, structured, and impactful.