Youth voice has always been vital to social and political change. Young people shape the way we see social progress and our future, yet sometimes the power of youth voice is forgotten. We are told that we are “too young,” that we “don’t know enough,” that “our opinions are invalid.” These sentiments have the power to quiet voices that desperately need to be heard.
Today’s youth are often referred to as Generation Z. Our upbringing in the digital age marks us as one of the most vocal generations in history and the vanguards for social change. According to Pew Research Center, Gen Z is also on track to be the most racially diverse and educated generation in history. Along with these titles, we carry the great responsibility of proudly representing our political and social views in order to be the change that we want to see in the world.
Throughout my journey of self-discovery I have found myself at the intersection of many groups whose voices have been systematically muted. As a Black, young woman of low socioeconomic status, I rarely see stories like mine being told in a way that is empowering rather than relegating. This lack of representation has encouraged me to be a catalyst for my own voice as well as the voices of those adjacent to mine.
Through my storytelling, I rise up for those who have been oppressed by society. A little over a year ago, I had my first opportunity to tell a story. The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting had just occurred and youth from all over the country were activating by staging a national school walkout in protest against gun violence. In an effort to document this astounding moment in history, a youth journalism organization called Youth Radio (now YR Media) hired student storytellers all over the country to report on what was happening in their schools, and I had the amazing opportunity to be among those selected. On that day, I fell in love with journalism. The opportunity to elevate the voices of those around me was invigorating in a way I had never experienced before.
A few months later, I had the opportunity to be involved in another youth media program called Speak City Heights Youth Media (SCHYM) through The AjA Project. SCHYM is a program that feeds into Speak City Heights, a California Endowment funded media collaborative between The AjA Project, KPBS, Media Arts Center San Diego and Voice of San Diego, aimed at amplifying the voices of residents in City Heights. In the program, I collaborated with a team of like-minded youth to bring to light new narratives in a community often overlooked.
Throughout the process of developing my article, and seeing the impact that it had on both myself and my peers, I came to the realization that storytelling was not only a hobby, but something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Later that year, I became a freelance writer with YR Media and have since been able to promote the power of youth voice as a Media Ambassador for the The AjA Project. Through these experiences, it has become extremely evident that by investing in young lives, minds and voices we equip ourselves to create the world we want to see.