This Meeting Is A Protest!
*This is an image of our Youth Leadership Council taken before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In today’s climate, so much is done for young people without involving young people. When talking about the needs of youth, rarely do we as adults truly listen to their experiences and opinions directly from them. This is a symptom of adultism, defined by Youth On Board as “the assumption that young people are inferior to adults simply because of their young age." One of our Youth Leadership Council (YLC) participants, Amaya brought this up back in November 2020, which led to the initial inspiration for “Lift Every Voice,” a roundtable discussion for teens, hosted by teens, and supported by IWES health educators. Through funding from Teen Health Mississippi, four members of IWES’ YLC used this platform to speak openly and honestly about the pressing problems facing young people in 2020. Our hope is that sharing this intimate discussion will inform our community and encourage adults to:
listen to young people,
pay them, and
include them in decision-making.
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be releasing snippets from this deep and insightful conversation in a new series entitled, This Meeting Is A Protest. The name was taken directly from a comment during the session from one of our participants, Helen, and it signifies how this space was a chance to speak out against racism, the inequitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the school stressors put on young people, all while they feel as if their full humanity is not being recognized.
A major focus of the series is how the pandemic has impacted the lives and well-being of youth. The pandemic has been hard for us all, but some more than others. Young people, and especially young people of color, are one group whose mental health has suffered disproportionately compared to the general population. During the roundtable discussion, schools were frequently raised as a potential place of connection and growth but also a place with many problems. As youth leader Nevaeh said,
“Any time [adults] can give us some compassion, some love...it means a lot. Truly, love is needed…Ask kids more questions, ‘how are you feeling, how are you doing’ instead of giving us a worksheet.”
As we start to wrap up the school year, we encourage school staff, parents, and policy makers to hear the call from young people who are speaking up. The pandemic has shifted so much in our lives, yet too much remains the same. Let this be an opportunity to recommit to creating youth-centered spaces that account for the strengths and experiences of the young people in our lives.