Written by Sam Chan, Nyawira Nyota, and Luke Shealy
Activism. It’s not just the work that people like Angela Davis, Malala, and Parkland students, are doing. Activism is making people aware of an issue that they weren’t aware of before. Activism is organizing a local march in your town. Activism is listening. Activism is grassroots movements. Activism is the work that you and I are doing. We want to have discussions about what it means to be a young leader and activist. We want to pass the mic to you.
To be clear, we aren’t saying that everything you do is activism–even though getting out of bed in the morning can be an act of resistance. Maybe you aren’t yet an activist but you want to know how you can get involved. We are here for you too! We hope that sharing the stories of young people changing their communities and shedding a spotlight on important social issues will inspire you.
#PassTheMicYouth seeks to amplify the voices of young people by sharing their lived experiences and stories of activism through a podcast and blog. This platform aims to highlight youth-centered issues, demonstrate the necessity of young leadership, and provide educators and youth-serving professionals with useful tools and resources.
We are Sam Chan, Nyawira Nyota, and Luke Shealy. We believe in the power that young people hold. We believe in the importance of sharing stories. We want to pass the mic to young people to have discussions about leadership and social justice. We want to provide a platform to talk about topics that are not always a focus when talking about activism work–the different ways young people are changing the world.
#PassTheMicYouth will feature podcast episodes and blog posts related to activism, social justice, and lived experiences. We want to hear about the important work you’re doing in your community. We want to pass the mic to you.
Interested in submitting a piece of your work to #PassTheMicYouth? See our Call for Submissions page for more information.