They came from urban neighborhoods, small towns and Native American reservations from across the U.S., with roots in communities around the world. They ranged in age from their early teens to late 60s. Over three days last October, a diverse community of youth activists from past and present social change movements gathered in Battle Creek, MI to share strategies, develop ideas, and learn from and with one another. The event was the W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s 75th Anniversary Seminar, A Celebration of Youth Engagement across Time and Culture, organized by the Innovation Center. It included youth and adult leaders from Kellogg Leadership for Community Change initiative sites nationwide.
This three-day event focused on the rhythm, relationships, and results of the past, present and future of youth engagement for positive social change. Participants shared stories and made their voices heard through art, music, and performance, contributing their passion, ideas, and strategies for change. The power of these individuals and ideas coming was palpable to all attendees as 92% reported leaving the event inspired to take action in their communities.
- In the “Hall of Fame,” participants displayed results and images from their work and explained their success, challenges, and passions.
- Through small group story-telling and using “Circles,” a peacemaking and restorative justice strategy developed by indigenous communities and facilitated by staff, partners, and young people from Roca, Inc., participants shared powerful stories from their past and present.
- In a “World Café” format, participants gathered in intimate groups to discuss the individual value or “secret spice” each brought to their work and the secret ingredients of their organizations’ success.
- Through an overwhelmingly popular Open Mic session, the passions, gifts, dreams, and talents of the participants were unleashed, leading to an open, honest, and constructive discussion of ways in which the participants could carry the inspiration of three days of work to strengthen their ongoing efforts to create positive community change.
More than simply a gathering, this seminar allowed participants to connect with one another and understand how their work fits into the larger rhythm of social change. As one participant said, “I thought my work was such a novel idea. I realized that everyone was doing it. I realized there were all these organizations doing great work that I could learn from.” Participants found inspiration from one another; one participant, speaking of an elder who shared her story of leading social change as a young person, said, “She lit a fire reminding participants that there’s still a fight to be made, that there’s still a revolution to be had.
Preparing to return home, one young person said, “The movement is so powerful. I look forward to taking this back to our communities.” In partnership with the participating organizations from the event including the Kellogg Leadership for Community Change sites, the Innovation Center will continue to explore ways to help individuals and communities do just that, building on the lessons learned and strategies shared to, in the words of a young poet at the event, help make “music to the movement of a moment like this.”
Resources from A Celebration of Youth Engagement across Time and Culture, including a paper framing the issue, a summary of the proceedings (from which some of this article is drawn) can be found on the Innovation Center website at www.theinnovationcenter. org
