Amplifying Youth Voice to Hold Leaders Accountable

Generocity, in partnership with NOMO (New Options, More Opportunities) Foundation and Philly BOLT (Building Our Lives Together), held its Youth Forum, part of the Every Voice, Every Vote, at the NOMO North on Broad street last week. While there were some partners on site for the event, the panelists and the vast majority of the several dozen attendees were youth between the ages of 16 and 25. With an objective to create and maintain a space where the voices and points of view of young people were prioritized and amplified, we actively enlisted the support of the non-youth partners in the audience to help us hold that space for truly listening to what our youth have to say without imposition.

The three panelists, youth community organizer Ashley Tellez, photography/media fellow and nursing student Charlotte Tatum, and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Youth Engagement Shania Bennett, answered questions about social pressures on youth, what they as young people are looking for in a leader, what is possible in terms of ending gun violence for good, and the ways in which they engage with elected leaders to keep them accountable.

The first of several forums to be held about civic engagement and issues beyond the ballot, several key takeaways emerged during this event that leaders can begin to pursue and build upon even now.

For example, Tellez emphasized the importance of basic community connection to heal relationships; showing up in community with young people often and committing ourselves to demonstrating love and support without conditions. As she put it, “Sometimes just showing up to a young person and saying to them, ‘I love you, I appreciate you.’ That goes so far”. She also maintains that civics knowledge can be much more accessible in schools around the city than it is now, and made available so it’s clear that this knowledge is vital for self- empowerment, rather than just another thing students are forced to learn.

Tatum echoed the sentiment about greater access to civic engagement resources at school, specifically where it concerns education about policies, and the actual distinct functions of elected officials, demystified. She says there’s too much of a disconnect between policies that affect our daily lives and the individuals who hold these offices and make the decisions to enact these policies. Holding elected leaders accountable is difficult, Tatum says, if we don’t know who they are or what they do. Leaders should be always creating opportunities for open and direct discourse with young people that extends beyond the hustle-bustle of the election cycle. 

Bennett had some inspiring and galvanizing words for the youth in attendance: “You have so much more power than you think you do.” Essentially, policy doesn’t have to be a thing disconnected from the lives and interests of our city’s young people; rather, she says, “you have the power to turn anything from your brain into policy”. From community event ideas, to resources, or even formal recognitions of particularly impactful community members, city officials – particularly in offices like hers – “work for you”, and are ready to help young community members pursue big ideas for the improvement of their communities. 

To hear more of the discussion in the panelists’ own words, check out video highlights from the event.