Youth Voices Amplified

Three days...100 youth from all over the nation... acquiring advocacy skills...delivering social justice speeches...connecting with elected leaders...and so much more took place during Mikva Challenge's First National Youth Summit, held in Washington, DC. Mikva Challenge is a civic education organization that aims to develop empowered, informed, and active youth. This episode covers the youth summit and gives a glimpse into the Mikva organization. 

This episode contains sensitive material and may not be appropriate for all audiences. Listeners should know this episode includes sensitive topics, trigger warnings, and derogatory names.

If you or someone else need youth support, please reach out to the resources below: 

-Teen Tallk App: Get help with various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, & more. Take control of your social and emotional health with a free mobile app just for teens.

-Teen Line: CALL 866-465-0083 Nationwide (6 PM - 10 PM PST) Every Night. Text 839863 (6 PM - 9 PM PST). Email or use the message boards via https://www.teenline.org.

-The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project Provides Crisis Support Services For LGBTQ Young People. Call, Chat, or Text for 24/7 Crisis Support Services, https://www.thetrevorproject.org

Did you know Washington, D.C. has 3 mayors!? Yes, D.C. is led by an official Mayor, voted by citizens. But, there are also two recognized youth mayors who are elected by two separate entities. Check out this episode to hear directly from two esteemed young officials dedicated to civic engagement and politics.

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Diya Bardwell is a recent Youth Mayor with the YMCA's D.C. Youth and Government program. YMCA Youth & Government is a nationwide civic program that prepares high school students for moral and political leadership. During her term, she worked to improve access to youth voting education, civic engagement within local government, and other resources to ensure that every student has equal and equitable access to our programs. Outside of her civics and political work, she enjoys crocheting, hiking, and spending time with her family. 
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Lourdes Robinson is the 72nd Youth Mayor of the District of Columbia. D.C.’s Youth Mayor engages in issues that affect youth. The mayor meets with city leaders and youth to ensure changes are being made, and that youth voices are heard; and pushes for the success of all youth in the District. One of Robinson's initiatives is authoring legislation to implement financial literacy classes in schools. She is heavily involved in International Affairs. Over the summer, she participated in the 2022 United States Youth Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. Her most recent achievement was founding a not-for-profit organization, Melanated Soul (www.melanatedsoul.co), which provides a mental health outlet for Black youth in the District.

Bullying is awful and it comes in so many forms. Sometimes teens even experience it online or through social media. If it happens, should you keep it to yourself or  tell an adult? What if they don't listen? Do I tell a friend? What if they don't know what to do? How can therapy help? Navigating these situations can be difficult. But knowing others share your experiences can be comforting as you seek out the best advice and resources for you. Tune in to a heartfelt episode where three youth hosts tell their own stories about bullying and cyberbullying. 

Need more help? Visit www.stopbullying.gov today and remember, you are not alone.

What could we accomplish if borders did not exist? Meet Anthony and Saundarya. They are high schoolers with a keen interest in giving back, and their dedication and commitment to service spans various local and global communities. 

Anthony lives in Arizona. 

Saundarya lives in India. 

They come from different cultures and countries, but they believe that borders are not obstacles, challenges, or hindrances to their work with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The borders that, for some, would seem to separate the two youth are actually differences that have helped bring them closer together. 

Tune in to listen to their stories and the advice they have for other youth around the globe who are ready to take action in their communities. 

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Anthony Dyjak is the president and founder of his high school’s UNA chapter. He has competed in many speech and debate competitions and is the Treasurer for his school's Amnesty International organization. He is also a member of his school’s Future Business Leaders of America club. He has won various geography competitions and olympiads, and has a great passion for geography, politics, and history. He has visited the United Nations Headquarters and is an advocate for fair elections, climate legislation, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and minority rights in his local community.

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Saundarya Nair serves on the Teen Advisory Board at Girl Up Leader and as the Vice President of her school club, Flames of Justice. Her passions include advocating for gender and climate justice, the financial independence of rural women, xenophobia, and sports for a purpose. She has contributed to pilot programs on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sports Innovation Labs, and was selected from representatives of over 120 countries to serve as a YOUNGA delegate in 2022. She has won awards at national-level debates and Model United Nations (MUNs), participated in the 2022 International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF) Youth Anthology, and was an honoree of the Girl Hero Awards 2022. When not engaged in activism and volunteering, she can be found reading, buried in the latest sports news, procrastinating on assignments, researching random historical trivia, and practicing Kathak or Taekwondo.

“What are you mixed with?” This is a question often posed to multi-racial & racially ambiguous folks, requiring them to reevaluate their identities, especially if they are members of the Black community. In this episode, two multi-racial girls from the Justice is Us Project, Alayna Maragh, and Angie Mejia, evaluate the intersectionality and complications of multi-racial identity, such as identity crisis, colorism, light skin privilege, apartheid, and more. Strap in, because it’s going to be one bumpy ride. 

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Angie (Angeles) Mejia is a queer Afro-Latinx activist, and a representative of the Justice is Us Project. When she's not advocating for a cause, she's often found writing poetry and speaking about her lived experiences, especially those conversations that often omit intersectionality.  They've been involved with the Afterschool Alliance and the Broward Youth Coalition. Her motto is "Always root for the underdog." 

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Alayna Maragh is a Blasian who represents the Justice is Us Project. With most of her ancestry coming from the very mixed island of Jamaica, there is still a lot of confusion on what exactly she is, however, she is still proud of her nationality and race(s). She currently attends a high school where most students are monoracial minorities. She is also currently working in the Charity Department on an immersive Web3 project, “The Jockey Experience.” She's been a part of Stranahan's Medical program for some time and wishes to branch out and explore what the world has to offer.

Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z have a lot of differences. One of the major differences is their approaches to and outlooks on mental health. How can these different age groups work together to find common ground? Tune in to hear our YVA youth hosts discuss generational differences and learn more about how they think different age cohorts can connect and gain a better understanding of each other.

To watch the video of this podcast check it out here. 

Global Youth Ambassadors Adina Nivukoski of Finland, and Petr Franc of the Czech Republic, report live from the United Nations Transforming Education Summit. The summit was a lively convening of international stakeholders who held a collective mission to revamp education and increase awareness of UN SDG 14.  During their chat, Adina and Petr recount various dialogues from the convening and provide suggestions on the next steps forward.

Adina Nivukoski is a 22-year old Finnish education and equality advocate and a former United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) youth delegate for Finland.

Petr Franc is a 20-year old Czech student unionist and an advocate for quality education that is accessible to all.

To learn more about the summit, visit: https://www.un.org/en/transforming-education-summit

To watch the video of this podcast check it out here. 

The full episode transcript is available here.

Each of us has a responsibility to help the world become a better place. As Global Citizens, we also need to master the Global Competencies necessary for leadership--locally and globally. No matter how broad or acute our efforts are, we should all be committed to working towards helping achieve the UN SDGs and making positive change in any way we can. 

Ever been hungry, or even "hangry"? We've all been there before. But there's a big difference between missing a meal and simply not having access to healthy foods. Food deserts are prevalent in many communities around the world and food insecurity is a major concern. Today's episode on UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #2 "Zero Hunger" and unequal access to healthy food is hosted by CEP's Youth Ambassador extraordinaire Kyia, and is co-hosted by youth advocates Don, Kayla, and Zion of The Youth Food Security Network, a youth-led organization via HeartSmiles MD that fights to ensure that everyone in Baltimore City has access to healthy and nutritious food. They work on numerous projects, such as their youth food pantry, and partner with organizations that have similar aspirations.

To watch the video of this podcast check it out here. 

High school students are always approached asking the number one question: "What college are you going to?" While many teens may be excited (and nervous) about entering adulthood, many don't always feel prepared for "adulting." CEP's Global Youth Ambassadors and leaders of the EMPOWER Initiative, Hanson and Jaclyn take us on a journey into their lives as Malaysian college students. During their studies, they began to recognize there was so much to learn about being prepared for student life after secondary school, so they created their youth-led non-profit organization to address college readiness and to empower college students to make their own decisions related to their education.

Find out more about the Empower Initiative on Instagram @m_pwr.

To watch the video of this podcast check it out here.