Jhania Stradford and Victoria Streets, Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) alumni and Gwinnett County sophomores, continued their advocacy training this summer by participating in Generation Citizen’s (GC) Democracy Education Youth Summit in New York City. The goal of the summit was to teach young people why and how to be politically active in their institutions and communities.

These exceptional young women were among only 28 youth selected from around the country to participate in this prestigious event taking place at Wagner College.

After she attended highly interactive trainings around the importance of political participation, and analyzed the current political landscape and presidential campaign, Jhania said she wished school was like this.

Participants also worked through the story of self and us – a more personal exploration of organization and activism.

When they weren’t working, Jhania and Victoria got to attend a Staten Island Yankees game and enjoyed dinner and the Broadway musical Matilda. Both young women say the best part of participating in GC was getting to know other teens from around the country and they would most definitely recommend the program. For more information visit GenerationCitizen.org.

YLI is not just about providing information and walking away. We hope that all participants continue to seek more information, resources and opportunities to grow and develop as strong, social justice advocates. We are always looking for ways to connect with similarly-minded organizations and grass roots efforts. One day Jhania may change the way schools teach government or Victoria may start her own advocacy organization. Sharena and Malia may be the next generation of dedicated investigative journalists. We are excited to see the potential and work here and want to honor the natural gifts of these young leaders as they seek to leave their world better than they found it.