Youth Voices – Youth Power Project 

Young People to Share Real Stories of Life in DC

DC Action and American University are collaborating to bring the AU Humanities Truck to nine community-based organizations in 2023 to give young people ages 13 to 24 the opportunity to share their experiences and opinions on life in the District of Columbia and their ideas about how to improve it. The project’s goals are to amplify youth voices, to collaborate with young people who want to use their personal stories to advocate for change, and to bring the voices of young people in the District to the attention of city leaders and other decision makers, so their voices can make a genuine impact on the policies that affect them every day.

Community partners in the Youth Voices–Youth Power Project include Black Swan Academy, Community Enrichment Project, Healthy Babies Project, Latin American Youth Center, Mikva Challenge, Project Create, Sitar Arts Center, SMYAL, and Young Women’s Project. Young people ages 13-24 are invited to participate. The first 15 participants at each truck stop will receive a $20 gift card.

The Humanities Truck is equipped with audio and video recording equipment so youth storytellers can choose how they want to record their stories. Participants may interview each other or speak on their own. Young people on the Youth Voices–Youth Power Advisory Board developed interview questions and story prompts.

American University professor Dan Kerr transformed a food truck into a vehicle that runs on food for thought. American University has partnered with many community organizations over the past several years to bring the Humanities Truck to neighborhoods across the District so people can teach and learn from each other, share their stories, and participate in community building. Using the Humanities Truck to give young people the opportunity to share their stories is part of DC Action’s goal to engage young people in advocating for their own needs and dreams.

Audio and video recordings will be posted online at DCYouthVoice.com as well as included on the AU Humanities Truck Community Archives website. Recordings will also be featured in compilation videos and shared on social media, via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

For more information, contact Betsy Rosenblatt Rosso at brosso@dckids.org or Jane Palmer at jane.palmer@american.edu.