“How should efforts to implement criminal justice reform handle minor offenses committed by juveniles? Officials in Newark, New Jersey, are trying a new approach: municipal courts, public schools, and police have aligned to develop an alternative sentencing program for teenagers: Newark Youth Court. This NewsHour Shares is provided by 12-year-old Yasmeena Sharif for our Student…
Lionel Gonzalez knows firsthand the challenges that a young person faces. When he was in high school, he was labeled at risk. “In High School, I was put on probation because I was in a car accident and my best friend died…I ran a red light [and] I missed a whole year of school.” Lionel…
“Activism has interested Lucinda for as long as she can remember, but it never seemed like the right time for her to take action. When she found herself, as a high school student in America, wrapped up in the vicious debate over gun control, she knew that it had become necessary to get involved. Everyone…
Fifty years ago, in 1968, a roaring fire swept across this nation and the world. As ThinkProgress.com writer Sam Fulwood III described in a piece recently, “This year marks the 50th anniversary of 1968, arguably one of the most traumatic years in our nation’s history, filled with war, riots, assassinations, political upheavals, and social unrest.” At the…
“After months of preliminary rounds with over 500 youth poets hailing from the Bay (San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Hayward and more), 12 finalists stepped up to the mic at the Nourse Theater on April 14th for a night of spoken word poetry at 2018 Teen Poetry Slam. Unapologetically honest, attendees witnessed some of the…
From Democracy Now! Voices from the Mass Shooting Generation: Youth from Around Country Descend on D.C. to Demand Change “One Life Is Worth All the Guns in America”: Students Demand End to Violence at March for Our Lives “I Learned to Duck Bullets Before I Learned to Read”: Edna Chavez at March For Our Lives…
“The Guitars Over Guns Alumni Band, Unistiq, perform three adaptations of contemporary songs at TEDxCoconutGrove EUREKA. The Alumni Band features the vocal talents of Santamarie Arocho, and Gio Anthone who are accompanied by Jean Petit-Homme on keyboard, Caleb Alcime on drums, and Gabriel Pierre on bass. Guitars Over Guns’ (GOGO’s) mission is to deliver high…
“Meet Victoria Smith, a High School junior who discusses incorporating spoken word into the high school curriculum and generalizing communication and vulnerability amongst the people. She shares her ideas about bringing the poets out of teens without creating the next Shakespeare.” This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but…
“Juliet Lubwama is a senior at the Downingtown STEM Academy. She serves as a 2017 National Student Poet for the Northeast, along with four other high school students in different regions. Through her poetry, she discusses the different struggles people face in life.” Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
“Literature can be daunting for some young people, so how can we create a culture of avid readers? Poetry can be a non-threatening alternative introduction for fledgling bibliophiles, giving them more “white space” on a page without losing narrative elements. Author Jason Reynolds shares his humble opinion on how poetry can entice young readers.” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/