Youth for Hope

Youth for Hope is a student-founded and student-run peace organization in Davis, California. It was founded by Davis High School sophomore Julia Cortopassi after she watched a screening of The Ground Truth on 2006-12-04 at the Varsity Theatre. She is assisted by her friends Sophia Cortopassi, Elisa Espinoza, and Jessica Weidenfeld. They stress YFH is not an anti-war organization, but a peace organization.

Their first public event was filling Central Park with 10,000 luminaries on New Year's Eve.

On 2006-12-31, 6-7PM they held a new year's eve candle-lighting event in which 10,000 votive candles and a little compost were placed in white paper bags and set covering the inner area of Central Park. At 6PM there was a brief prayer, several spoke about the war, interspersed with performances by the Davis High School choir.

Julia said "Three thousand of the candles were to remember the U.S casualties of the Iraq war, the other seven thousand, times ten, represent the Iraqis who were killed."

Volunteers started setting the candles up at 8AM, they started lighting them at 4PM, and the vigil started at 6PM. All of the planning was accomplished in only a couple weeks time. Total power output of 10,000 burning candles: approx. 400kW. Reportedly, Julia's parents paid the $3000 tab for the candles and bags.

Other supporters included Freedom From War (now Teach Peace), Code Pink, Capitol Area Progressives, Progressive Democrats of America, and the Davis Community Church.