As a youth leader, I’ve learned that having a voice is more than simply speaking. It means having the courage to say what needs to be said, taking initiative to find solutions to problems, and being there when needed. But if Baltimore wants young people to use their voices, the adults and organizations serving them also have a responsibility to create spaces where those voices can actually shape decisions.
When I was growing up, I had the opportunity to be both a youth advocate with No Boundaries Youth Organizers and a youth entrepreneur with Youth in Business. In my advocacy group, we provided spaces for youth and young adults to speak about things that bothered them and gain opportunities to learn new skills. We hosted monthly events and an annual Youth Issues Assembly where we shared how we worked on the problems that had been brought to us throughout the year. In my entrepreneurship group, I learned how to create and sell items for a profit. We also used our shirts to promote positive messages throughout Baltimore City.
These programs provided me with valuable knowledge, but they also taught me something about what it takes to make youth programs successful. I received a monthly stipend for my time, transportation home was provided, and programs were held at reasonable hours and on weekends. Providing things like transportation and stipends helps young people not only show up but also feel appreciated and valued. A lot of young people have to work, and research shows that leaves them less time for programs outside of school. The Forum for Youth Investment recommends paying young people for their time when they are asked to help make decisions.
When creating programs for youth, you have to take into consideration the obstacles they may face. Some youth may have to rely on public transportation or may have bills and other responsibilities of their own — common obstacles in Baltimore. About one in four children in the city live in poverty, and more than 30,000 city students rely on MTA buses to get to school. Providing support is not only about helping them participate; it also gives young people an opportunity to learn how to manage having a job, earning money, and potentially saving for their future.
If we say we want youth participation but schedule meetings while young people are in school, fail to consider transportation, or expect them to continually give their time without support, we have not created meaningful access. We have simply created an invitation that many young people cannot accept.
If we say we want youth participation but schedule meetings while young people are in school, fail to consider transportation, or expect them to continually give their time without support, we have not created meaningful access. We have simply created an invitation that many young people cannot accept.
As I continue to grow older, I now see how important it was for me to speak up for my peers and myself. I look back at many times when I was in a room full of adults speaking about issues that affected youth, but there were only two or three young people in the room, if any. I never understood how adults could speak about the problems of young people without having them present.
A couple of years ago, I attended a meeting discussing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on youth and what could be done to support them. It was a room full of adults discussing how COVID-19 affected young people, yet there were almost no young people in the room. I remember questioning how we could fully understand the impact of COVID-19 on youth without hearing directly from them. Young people were struggling. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2021, 42% of U.S. high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Although I was only 21 at the time, I also understood that I couldn’t speak for every young person who experienced the pandemic. That made me question even more why there weren’t more young people included in the conversation. There were only about two other people under the age of 24 in the room, and the meeting was taking place during a time when most young people would be in school.
To me, that showed that youth involvement has to be intentional. You can’t simply say that you want youth voices at the table; you have to create opportunities for them to be there.
That lesson continues to shape how I think about leadership today. As a youth board member with Baltimore Children & Youth Fund, I now have the opportunity to serve in a space where decisions affecting Baltimore’s young people are being made. For me, that experience feels full circle. I spent years wondering why young people were missing from rooms where adults discussed our lives. Now, I also understand how important it is for organizations to intentionally make room for young people not only to attend those conversations, but to help guide them.
That kind of youth participation is especially important as Baltimore works to imagine its future. Through efforts such as Baltimore’s first Youth Master Plan, our city has an opportunity to demonstrate what it looks like when young people help create the solutions to the problems that affect them.
When it comes to creating solutions, young people should be included in the process to ensure that those solutions are beneficial to them. Adults may have experience and knowledge, but that doesn’t mean they can fully understand what today’s young people are experiencing without listening to them.
We also can’t assume that the experiences of one generation will be the same as another. Each generation of young people faces different challenges, and we need to make sure our programs and solutions reflect their current realities.
That responsibility doesn’t belong to one organization. Schools, nonprofits, funders, government agencies, community organizations, and anyone making decisions that affect young people should ask, where are the young people in this conversation? And if they are not here, what barriers have we created that are keeping them from participating?
Answering these questions requires action. Organizations can hold meetings after school and on weekends. They can build stipends and transportation into their budgets from the start, the same way they budget for staff and rent. They can make sure meetings are accessible to every young person, and they can give young people voting power on the boards and committees that make decisions about them. And, if you are a young person, don’t wait for an invitation. Show up where decisions are being made such as your school board or the City Council, and get involved with shaping Baltimore’s first Youth Master Plan.
For me, using my voice as a youth leader means more than speaking up for myself. It means speaking up for my peers, making sure young people have access to the resources they need to participate, and creating spaces where their ideas can influence the decisions being made about their lives.
A seat at the table matters, but a seat alone isn’t enough. Young people need the support to get into the room, the opportunity to be heard once they’re there, and the power to help shape what happens next. If Baltimore is serious about youth voice, that is the standard we should be working toward.
Kathleen “Kat” Jones, 24, of Greater Mondawmin, is a youth board member with Baltimore Children & Youth Fund.