Baltimore Youth Voices Initiative

Elevating and magnifying the Voices & Views of Baltimore City Youth
Launching - March 2008

This initiative is the only authentically youth centered movement in our city whose focus is the inclusion of youth voices

Conversations about the conditions that directly impact our citizenry are happening across the city. But they are largely disengaged from one another. One critical voice that is missing is the voice of our cities youth. They are not being solicited or included in policy conversations or strategy sessions, yet they are perhaps the biggest stakeholder in the future of our city. They represent the next wave of employers, employees, taxpayers etc and as such have perhaps the largest stake in what happens and how we move forward.

Why is this important now and how is this different:

We believe that the voices of our youth are critical to the transformation and reclamation of our communities. We recognize that they have the capacity to reshape the political, social, economic and cultural landscapes – and they have the capacity to close the ever widening wealth, education and health gaps.

What makes this different, is that this is not a one-shot rah-rah session. Through this initiative, we can begin to incorporate opportunities for homegrown and organic leadership development which will allow us to achieve the goals of: linking youth across the city to help them better understand the systems that impact them and then train and mobilize them to achieve real systemic change as defined by them; and create a genuine paradigm shift in the way public and policy makers perceive this constituency.

What exactly will this initiative seek to do?

We will endeavor to solicit these voices and bring their assessment of their community to the table being very clear that it is not enough to merely ask impacted communities what they see as the problems facing them. We will work to create the environment that asks the larger and more difficult questions: What do you see as possible solutions? and what are role are you willing to play (what are you willing to do) to bring about real change.

As these conversations continue, we will be endeavoring to empower this constituency to learn how to challenge the system, be empowered to hold people accountable for their actions/inaction, work to dismantle the arrogance of adults and bring about a shift in the power base and begin creating more inclusive conversations that lead to real opportunity. This constituency will be empowered to take the lead in informing decision makers and rising up to leadership positions within their own communities to implement change and to identify and build their own alliances.

Why should the youth of the city participate?

There is a growing sense of urgency for a movement of this type. Historically, groups of young people have been convened to hear a “message” – a message that is typically been crafted by adults. They are normally centered around the theme of “you can be successful if you…”– What they have not been, is convened by, with a message created by and an outcome that is determined by… YOU.

Youth know and understand the city that you are inheriting… they know the city they want to age into…they can bridge the two and create real opportunities, real accountability, real community and real change.

This is an initiative that looks beyond the immediate, is authentically youth driven, and that will serve as a catalyst for real change.

What can a participant expect as an outcome?

By their participation, they will become an integral part of an empowered, organized, trained and mobilized self-directed movement of young men and women who are able to advocate effectively on their own behalves to achieve those changes that will lead them toward increased self-sufficiency and personal efficacy.

Their voices will resonate with city leaders, policy makers and community members in a way that has never happened in our City. They will have the ability to have their solutions, suggestions, and concerns reflected in our city.