YOUNG LEADERS
Next Level
At our 2019 youth activism retreat we held a community event that was entirely created, developed, and facilitated by our retreat kids. This “Unity Potluck Lunch” gathered community members of all ages and from all walks of life. Complete with youth-led icebreakers, tabletop discussions, and a community meal, the culminating activity was a group art project that is circulating around our local libraries.
This event was the springboard for our YOUNG LEADERS program, a next level for youth activists who have “graduated” from our school partnerships and are beginning to tackle issues on their own. Even throughout COVID, a dedicated group of kids addressed problems they care about: gun violence, teen suicide, elder isolation, transgender/LGBTQIA+ awareness, sexual harassment and assault, wildfires and climate change, plastics in the environment, free menstrual products in schools, and lake pollution. Interestingly, all of these issues reflect the pressing concerns youth have about health, safety, and respect. Their vision of a safe, inclusive, healthy life for all is what propels them to do this work.
The bold strength that our young leaders bring to the table is not just inspiring - it’s necessary.
As an organization, our priority has always been to amplify the voices of youth. We seek to give them the platform and the tools to address important issues.
Where in our early years they needed a lot of coaching, there’s recently been a significant shift - an urgency born of massive upheaval in their lives: school shootings, police brutality, environmental degradation, systemic racism, COVID-19, and more. Today’s youth are so aware of what’s going on in the world, and they see activists their own age doing important work which inspires and motivates them to do the same, knowing that they have the agency to effect change. They have been witness to profound positive change and the fight for justice – the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, climate change protests and global youth activism. They know there is a lot at stake. They are fired up and ready to make a difference.
Our communities need voices of all ages who assert injustice is wrong, destroying our planet is unacceptable and everyone has a right to peace and dignity. These young leaders understand that we must work together to build a just, equitable and Resilient Community
Young Leaders hard at work: zooming in from TX, SC, NC, CA, NY, VT and MA; writing a message on the Peace Wall in Ireland; hosting a community potluck lunch in VT; designing t-shirts to raise awareness about teen suicide prevention and money for social justice organizations in VT; organizing a green up day in their neighborhood in VT; tabling at a Holiday Giving Fair benefiting local VT nonprofits; and helping in the Writing Resources Center at their college in VA.