Campaign Images by Youth in the 2021 Lead Artist Alani Summers
How is your design process demonstrating “youth in the lead”?
I really tried my best to include many aspects of youth who are not often included. I wanted every youth to feel heard and represented in my design and tried to convey that as best as I could. Oftentimes in youth lead projects, not everyone is represented and that’s not okay.
What advice do you have for others in telling their own stories with their artwork?
My advice is to tell your story and tell it with truth, passion, and dignity. Don’t let your voice be silenced by others and don’t let others negatively influence your artistic expression. People often get told their artwork is weird, ugly, too loud, too bold, too plain, etc. Art is open to interpretation and meaning is subjective. Don’t get discouraged from the negative opinions and above all, don’t be too hard on yourself. Art is what you make it.
+Read Alani’s Bio
About the Campaign
Calling upon our value of equity, the Youth in the Lead campaign strives to follow the wisdom and expertise of young people as they work to prevent teen dating violence, advocate for healthy relationships, heal from trauma, and engage in interconnected forms of social justice. In the spirit of strategic followership and countering tokenization, the content of the campaign will primarily feature youth voices. We will strengthen and deepen the conversation we began last year, and challenge adults to share their power by holding space to learn from youth.
Our efforts in 2021 will need to be different: Since COVID-19 emerged, there has been a general decline in the number of youth who are engaged in work with DV & SV organizations. Young people are dealing with many stressors, including adapting to virtual learning, isolation, depression, financial struggles, and more—all on top of gender and racial oppression that harmfully impacts self-confidence and relationships. At the same time, youth consciousness is blooming into action to create change, as seen in the article Hit Hard by Pandemic, Youth of Color are Leading Activism, New Poll Finds. They are aware of inequities in social structures, and how they’re set up. Preventionists are working hard to create welcoming spaces—but have expressed a need for additional outreach tools and ways to adapt their curricula.
Explore the resources below for shareable social media content, working guides for preventionists, and more!
We’re proud to partner with StoryCenter on a digital storytelling training series—where youth are creating their own stories of activism to prevent dating violence & interconnected injustices, and healing from trauma. Eleven youth are currently attending the trainings, and their digital narratives will be shared mid-February. Stay tuned!
