By Kassandra Nevarez, Marketing and Communications Assistant
Youth fill a special role when it comes to activism. American youth have always made profound impacts on our country throughout its history. Youth activists are even more visible nowadays thanks to social networks. Youth activists come from all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and personality types. The only required attribute is a passion for an issue and the motivation to make a change.
Youth activism was the theme for this year’s STARS girls conference. The annual conference brings together nonprofits, activists, girls and gender non-conforming youth to empower them, help them grow and learn from each other. The STARS Initiative seeks to “help girls and young women of color overcome barriers to success, grow emotionally, academically and physically stronger, and develop as leaders in their communities”
This year’s conference began with an introduction by emcee Shantae Edwards, social entrepreneur, host of “the DOPE Mindset” podcast, public speaker, marketer, youth educator and consultant. It was followed by a talk by Grace Dolan, a performance by the GGE Steppers, a panel of youth activists, several workshops and finally a dance party, for good measure.
The keynote speaker was 17-year-old Grace Dolan-Sandrino, an Afro-latina trans teen activist and advocate for marginalized youth. She is on the advisory board for the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Black Justice Coalition. She is a frequent contributor to Teen Vogue, Broadly, Vice, The Washington Post and Black Enterprise Magazine and the co-founder of her school’s Gender and Orientation Alliance, and so much more.
A panel of youth activists shared their wisdom. Panelists included Aneth Naranjo, Director of Youth Engagement at the Respect For All Coalition; Margarita Parrila, member of El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice; Natejhia Lopez, Youth Leader at Make The Road NY’s Youth Power Project; Mathania Toussaint, member of various social justice clubs at NYU including the Haitian-American Association and Peer Health Exchange. All these voices served to give an honest perspective on youth activism, leadership and change making in their respective communities. They were truly an inspiration for all attendees who strive to make a difference in the world around them.
Row New York hosted a workshop called #letyourpurposesoar. Its purpose was to show our youth the many faces of activism, identify different issues of importance, think about realistic ways to make a change and then create a poster about that issue to share on each participants’ social media in order to use social media as a platform to amplify each person’s voice. One of the most important topics that was discussed was the correct way to be an activist. The participants learned that there isn’t one way to be an activist and that everyone has a community in which they can make a change, no matter how small. We learned that everyone has a platform, whether that is social media, family, friends, classmates or fellow club members. Additionally, we emphasized that even shy people can be activists, because you don’t need to be an extrovert to be a leader and you don’t always need lead to change your corner of the world. We hope that our youth left the workshops with a new understanding about what activism is, what it looks like and what role each person can play to make positive change in the issues they’re passionate about.
Read about past STARS Girls Conferences:
Celebrating Women’s Herstory Month with STARS Citywide Girls Initiative!
