2024 marks the third year that an individual from each of the 32 NFL teams is selected for the Inspire Changemaker Award. The award is given to those who have made a difference in their community through their social justice work.
Each changemaker receives a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation, which is paid directly to a nonprofit organization of their choice. Changemakers will also be honored during each team's Inspire Change Game during Week 15 or 16.
The Eagles Inspire Changemaker Award went to Angelique Hinton, who is currently serving as the Executive Director of PA Youth Vote and President of the Norristown National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
After seeing the disparity between wealth and impoverished communities, Hinton went into political organizing and ended up working for a state senator along the way. She later began working to register high school students to vote around Philadelphia before ultimately finding her new passion.
"In Philadelphia, they weren't able to teach the kids civics. So, in 2021, we founded PA Youth Vote to provide the 'why' for students to help them understand the connection between policy and the impact that can have on issues that affect them," Hinton said.
"Every year we work year-round with students in communities of color. We're focused on those communities that are not able to have access to civics education. We go in and we provide nonpartisan education that is relevant and resonates with young people that have a lot of issues that they care very much about, but, just up until this point, aren't really being provided the education that provides a connection that they can have to make an impact through voting and holding leaders accountable."
The mission of PA Youth Vote is to work to elevate youth voices, improve public school civics education, and empower youth as civic actors.
Hinton and the organization want to build youth political power and allow them to not only understand how to vote, but why it is so important for their future.
"I feel like when you engage young people in a way that doesn't feel transactional, that they understand. Because we're engaging these young people year-round. We're meeting them where they are. We're doing it in a way that is culturally relevant for them, topically issue-relevant for them. And so, they are very much engaged," Hinton said.
Some of the ways PA Youth Vote engages students include social media outreach, television events, and field days.
The field days are one of the most engaging events for the youth, as it takes them out of the classroom and in a fun and light-hearted environment.
"It was like an old-school field day, but also civics was interweaved in throughout. We did a mock election there. We did a relay ballot race. All of these things are themed to constantly still be connected to voting and holding leaders accountable," Hinton said.
Hinton and PA Youth Vote had a specific target of first-time voters in the primaries and past elections, and their methods have proven to work.
"We're still waiting for this past election, but in the primary, the Gen Z age that we're engaging (18) doubled the turnout of any other Gen Z age in Philadelphia," she said.
Hinton has made a big impact around schools in Philadelphia and she is grateful for the opportunities the Eagles help provide them.
She knows the work is only getting started as the next generation of youth voters are out there now.
"The work that we do is not just about civic engagement. That's a big part of it, but it's also about exposure, and giving these young people who might not have an opportunity to be exposed, like going to an Eagles game, or participating and having access to an Eagles player. And sometimes it's just something that can put that much more of a light in a young person's eyes as to what they can achieve," Hinton said.
"I'm extremely grateful for the partnership and again, I'm hopeful that this will give us an opportunity to even be more creative and collaborative. We go into these next election cycles with local elections, which most directly impact young people. We're working together to reach more young people; to give them access and exposure to things they might not ordinarily be able to do. We're also providing education and empowerment that will help these kids go on and learn how to advocate for themselves, and the importance of their vote and their voice."
– Written by Liam Wichser
