Youth In Action

Youth In Action is an organization where the youth share their story. They create change in the community by having a voice. The voice given to them by the youth workers. It allows them to experience leadership opportunities and skills for the future. Youth in Action is a safe place, for youth to go to voice these opinions about our world today.

Youth in Action describes leading with by setting a standard each year for the kids in the organization. These standards are made by the youth themselves. Everyone agrees on them, everyone has a say in them. This is crucial for gaining trust with the youth workers. If the youth workers already had standards made and presented them, the youth would feel like their safe place wasn't actually theirs.

Youth in action is broken into three phases that allows the youth to be themselves. The first core is letting them tell their story. Letting them share with us how they want to create the world. Again, this gains trust between the youth worker and youth. Listening and showing we care about them will allow relationships to form. The next phase is Immersion. This is teaching them what they can bring to the social group, what their strengths are. The youth actually design and facilitate workshops on student base learning. Again, we are allowing the youth to take control while we stand as their partners/mentors. The last phase is Collective. This is when youth sit on the board of directors, assist in fundraising opportunities and begin to create a change at policy level. This to me, is super powerful. This really shows the youth that they have a voice, that they matter.

Last year one of my good friends did her internship at Youth in Action. She would always talk about how much she loved it and how everyone was so welcoming to her. Last year Providence did a walk out and Youth in Action participated. She was there when they started planning it and she was there to walk right next to them. From that moment on, every single person trust and valued her a hundred times more than before. Leading with you is being there for them, participating, listening, giving the mic to them and most importantly letting them change the world.





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