Planned Parenthood’s Teen Action Group recently invited VOX to lead a workshop about empowering youth to lead and create change in communities. After several activities and discussion, the teens created this video and collages to capture their experiences and share their voices.
VOX’s Atlanta Teen Voices Teen Editor Christian Stallworth co-facilitated the workshop and shared her experience from the day.
This action group already does a lot to spread their voice, but we were able to show them other ways to do this, too. We provided opportunities to create art and write poetry to enhance their already powerful influence.
When I walked in, I felt like this group of girls and boys were ready for conversation. They were all so comfortable with each other, so it made it easier for me to facilitate because I just had to insert myself into their family. They were very open to talking and writing about deep issues. They touched on key points surrounding racism and expression that almost every teen can relate to with everything going on in the world right now.
Seeing their passion about changing the world and hearing everything they were doing already at their age was the most rewarding part for me. One girl, age 16, said she was working on a documentary, and I think this is the moment that I realized these teens are doing big things.
People call us the next generation, but they do not realize we are the working generation. We are already leaving our mark. I am about to be 20, so leaving behind my teenage years knowing that there are teens doing influential things in my community is amazing. I am proud of the teens in these programs because they are altering injustices and inequality with their voices more than they think.
Interested in a Atlanta Teen Voices workshop for your organization?
With the goal of amplifying the voices of teens across metro Atlanta, VOX’s Atlanta Teen Voices program offers workshops where teens can speak-up, write, and create art and media to be shared on VoxAtl.com. To collectively impact our community through raising and sharing teens’ voices, contact Sarah Garnitz at Sarah@voxatl.org.
