What lessons can be found when we empower youth to lead their own programming?
In July, the Bounce Coalition hosted a celebratory convening in honor of our Teen Talk partner organizations, who serve a diverse spectrum of young people in Louisville. Leadership of Sowing Seeds with Faith (SSWF), Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM), Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS), and Backside Learning Center (BLC) gathered to discuss their journey in piloting the Teen Talks model, which originated from youth with SSWF. Teen Talks is a space created by youth for youth, with adult guidance, that enables teens to discuss topics relevant to them. From financial literacy, challenges with language, and mental health to discussing what community means and what a career might look like, Teen Talks was designed for youth to ‘own the mic” within their respective organizations.
During our celebratory day, members of these pilot organizations were invited to reflect on their work with young people, from start to finish. A common reflection was the importance of adults taking a step back and acknowledging the role that youth should play in informing youth programming.
Adult guides from various organizations also reflected on barriers:
“Transportation was a big issue… a lot of our kids couldn’t get rides to come to the site to participate, even though they wanted to participate.”
“We have teenagers who have jobs in the summer to support their families, so many times we were missing some enrolled kids.”
Despite the barriers, our partners were persistent in creating access for youth to participate in the programming in unique ways– even offering the space virtually and in different languages.
“We have children who speak multiple languages, so one day we played telephone as an icebreaker. Once in English, another in Kinyarwanda, and another language in our group. Everyone had a ball, waiting to hear what was picked up by non-speakers, and the kids giggling and trying to win the game. They really enjoyed it,” said a staff member of a partner organization.
To wrap up the celebratory meeting, Dr. Joe Bargione from Bounce led attendees in an interactive game that challenged organizations to put the skills they taught their respective youth to work. This activity served as a wonderful symbol of the merit of Teen Talks.
In our wrap-up, the participating organizations commended the program for its successes reflecting that the tools they gained from this project would be integral for their future work with youth. We are grateful for the generosity of the C.E. and S. Foundation and to the participating organizations. It is our hope to continue this work with additional organizations and expand capacity. Thank you to all our organizations and young people who took part in this exciting project.
