69´«Ã½

Opinion
School & District Management Opinion

How I Found My Confidence as a Teen Activist

By Brandon Griggs — September 09, 2020 3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a difficult situation for many schools to handle. Educators have been forced to reengineer entire courses into an online format; young people have been forced to get computers, printers, and scanners (luxuries not every family has) to succeed in those courses. However, these hardships also seem to have brought out the best of many individuals who work to overcome this crisis.

Look at people like Avi Schiffmann, a high schooler in Washington state who built a website that provides easy access to information about COVID-19 for young people, and 6th grader Matthew Tuer, who organized a GoFundMe campaign to support local schools in his hometown of Northville, Mich. They’re far from the only students working to improve their communities. In fact, the past few months have seen a surge in activism and advocacy among young people.

Related Video

Brandon Griggs and a local councilman consider how to empower students to use their voice.

What led to this new energy? And how can teachers help foster this same resiliency and drive in all their students?

About This Project

BRIC ARCHIVE

With the rise of the pandemic this spring and the national fight for racial justice, many young people are displaying inner reserve, resiliency, self-regulation, leadership, service, and citizenship in ways that no one could have anticipated.

In this special Opinion project, educators and students explore how young people are carving their own paths.

Read the full package.

As a teen activist and the founder of Hear the Youth, an organization that works to amplify the voices of young people in local government, I first became involved in my work after witnessing how crime and violence affected teenagers in my community in Florida. I was frustrated to see that none of those teens was ever consulted by the adults looking to address the problem. I am now the only teenager to serve on the Jacksonville City Commission on Safety and Crime Reduction. COVID-19, which has cut short graduation ceremonies and ended athletic activities, is having a similar effect in motivating other students to get involved in their communities.

While there is no substitute for firsthand experiences to inspire young people, adults can still play an important role in encouraging student activism. And they do not need to wait for a crisis to support their students’ social innovation—and the independence, confidence, and hope that come with it.

One of the most significant things educators can do to encourage their students to be involved in their communities is to believe that student-led efforts can accomplish real change. This might be as simple as offering to hear our ideas and providing guidance for our projects. After teachers at my school invited the superintendent to come hear from students, Hear the Youth was able to work with our school district last year to secure free mobile hot spots to qualifying students who don’t have home-internet access. 69´«Ã½ involved in other budding youth-led endeavors deserve the same opportunity to meet public officials.

How can teachers help foster this same resiliency and drive in all their students?"

Another key role adults can play in activating youth-led projects is to spend more time listening to—rather than lecturing—us. Young people often have a unique perspective on the social issues that affect us directly. Teachers can start by simply asking kids what issues matter most to us. Then, allow us to formulate our own potential solutions to these problems and provide constructive feedback. COVID-19 may be at the forefront of all of our minds right now, but we shouldn’t neglect other important areas where improvement is necessary.

By taking this approach, teachers can avoid using young people as props without taking our concerns seriously.

Finally, when students do start taking the initiative and advocating their needs, teachers should foster a culture of positivity and acceptance toward those change-making efforts. Too often, young people are discouraged from making a difference by school administrators who are defensive of the status quo. 69´«Ã½ who are not yet confident in their ability to make a difference can find inspiration from a school environment that welcomes change—and from seeing examples of other young activists who have succeeded in the same environment.

I say this because when we first started our activism work, Hear the Youth didn’t have any such examples of teenage-led organizations in our community, and I know just how helpful it would have been for many of us to have a role model to follow. There were countless times when I felt as though I was the only person in my community who wanted to make a difference. Just as living in a neighborhood surrounded by crime perpetuates a cycle of violence, seeing young people like us advocate change has allowed teenagers in Jacksonville to realize that they are capable of changing that narrative.

Now, youth activists in our community don’t have to be alone in their efforts. It is my hope that educators can help all students find their voices by taking the time to encourage, support, and listen to us.

Coverage of character education and development is supported in part by a grant from The Kern Family Foundation, at . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.
A version of this article appeared in the September 09, 2020 edition of Education Week as Finding the Confidence to Speak Up

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ã½
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management 69´«Ã½ Want Results When They Spend Big Money. Here's How They're Getting Them
Tying spending to outcomes is a goal many district leaders have. A new model for purchase contracts could make it easier.
7 min read
Illustration of scales balancing books on one end and coins on another.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69´«Ã½
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump’s pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images