YOUTH INSIGHTS
ZINE A PROGRAM OF BROOKLYN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
always knew my “ I voice mattered,
but the Youth Fellows program is my megaphone. Ray
’16-’17 Youth Fellow
”
My Brooklyn, my dream. Our Brooklyn, our dream.
Written by: Peace, BK Fellow
Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I have a dream too. A dream that the Brooklyn community would become a place where there is no hatred, crime or violence. A Brooklyn without police brutality. A Brooklyn with access to many safe spaces, where it is safe for every resident. A Brooklyn where everyone helps each other. A Brooklyn where people are not categorized based on their status and creed. A Brooklyn where there is no difference between the rich and poor, but rather everyone is considered as equals.
Over the past two years as a Brooklyn Youth Fellow, executing the Youth Voice Awards and building a powerful movement in Brooklyn with amazing youth leaders doing groundbreaking work in justice, have taught me that if you believe in your dream enough, other people start believing it as well. For example, my dream of rallying for the first time came true. Saturday, December 14, 2016 I found myself with other young activists bright and early on the bus to Washington D.C. I was pumped. Although it was raining, it didn’t stop the numbers from coming out. It was a full house, literally. I believed in what I was protesting for as I held signs, chanted, and listened to speeches. Also as a youth fellow, I got to be at the forefront of planning and executing the Youth Voice Awards and the Youth Resistance Conference, led by youth, and for the youth.
I have a dream of a Brooklyn with access to fresh fruits and vegetables on every corner instead of McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants as the only easily accessible and affordable options. If the most basic human need is food, then it must be distributed fairly. I have a dream of a Brooklyn with access to many resources, many green spaces, a clean Brooklyn without pollution. I have a dream of a Brooklyn where there is justice for immigrants, different races, gender, justice of education, justice for the economy and housing, justice for the environment, justice for public health and justice for reproductive health.
All in all, it feels great to be a part of a bigger dream– to speak with my physical presence and my voice – rather than simply wait until change happens, but to be a part of the change myself. And it only takes one person to make a dream become a reality. That’s why, it’s past time to solve the tragedies we see in Brooklyn now. We have to reclaim our right to protect the earth and her diverse species. We have to stop this corporate theft from the poor and from nature. The Brooklyn Youth Fellows give me hope and so, let’s continue to make Brooklyn a better place, one person at a time, one dream at a time. My Brooklyn, my dream. Our Brooklyn, our dream.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said; “I have a
dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
My dreams for BK‌ Building power with my neighbors Breaking down barriers for young people
Safe spaces where young people and elders can connect LOVING homes filled with families that have everything that they need
The freedom to walk down the street without being harassed because of how we look Space to build with other youth – where we get to create and dream
No more police, ICE agents or CPS Good and fresh food on every block Spreading love Togetherness! Neighbors knowing each other and looking out for each other Resisting gentrification and a place where everyone has a home
A PLACE WHERE DREAMS LIVE
My voice matters Coming from a mother who is an immigrant, and being the first generation to live in America has helped shape my voice. A voice that is learning to speak against injustice.
Written by: Nirmeen, BK Fellow Being able to work along other young people to actually make a change was really powerful. Together, we learned about oppression and gained tools to tackle injustice.
Starting from a young age in my life, I've seen how difficult it is to be able to be open about who you are. From being trans or part of the LGBT community to being an undocumented person, we are living in a time where people are afraid to be their full selves.
Overall, being a Fellow has allowed me to explore my community around me and work with youth to feel nothing but unconditional love and support. It has changed my life In so many ways knowing that I was able to give back to my community right now – at my age, with all of my identities.
In my life I thought I would never be able to see young people coming together to try and tackle injustice.
My voice is getting louder and bolder. Are you ready to hear what I have to say?
I am the cure Being an activist is so important to me because I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I went through. From being homeless to being involved in gangs to seeing my brother do 16 years in prison to doing 7 years of my own life in and out of jail and prison to hearing that some of my closest friends being killed in the street.
Poem by: Vidal, BK Fellow
I have come to realize that if our communities have been fed poison then we must be the cure. Our community shouldn't be fighting for resources or calling out for support from people who don’t hear us. My time as an activist is to wake up people with education and empowerment so we can all rise.
Grantmaking for Justice I didn’t think grantmaking could be a part of social justice until I became involved with the Brooklyn Youth Fellowship. It wasn’t until I became involved in the process of the Brooklyn Youth Voice Awards that I realized the impact of what a grant can do. A year ago, I didn’t know a thing about grantmaking. I was glad to learn that something like BCF existed, and that there was an organization that was willing to give money in order to make change. In helping create the Youth Voice Awards grant application, I learned what a long process something like that can take. There were many steps: working on the applications, creating a campaign around the release and later reading them helped me see the importance of what might seem tedious at first. When we released the applications for the Brooklyn Youth Voice Awards, we had no idea what to expect. We didn’t know how many people would apply and what they would want their project to look like. I, for one, did not expect there to be so much diversity in what people were applying for when we received the applications.
Written by: Daniel-Joseph, BK Fellow We received projects for every justice pillar we outlined - projects ranging from workshops to creating videos. It felt empowering to look at the applications and choose which ones we wanted to advance. Reading the applications was a reminder that there are people that are doing amazing work and want to help better their community. And that the face of change could be young people. This process showed me that there were young activists that really wanted to spark change and use their voices and take initiative. These young people have the drive, but what they needed was the money. Being a part of the process of granting these young activists money to pursue a project to create change was an incredible experience. Grantmaking can turn someone’s dream to create change into a reality. Grantmaking and putting the power into young people’s hands is activism and I am happy that I got to be a part of what made it possible. Grantmaking for justice is a radical act.
“A safe space is a place where people feel free” -Gabi
Youth Fellow
The Power Inside Myself I lived by the rules of the orthodox jewish sect I was raised in until the age of 16, when I dropped out of my all girls hebrew school to find a path for myself. I wanted to find out about the world that I had been isolated from. I got a job in the city and started my journey. I had to leave Brooklyn if I wanted to thrive. Before I knew it people who saw me walking down Utica avenue would ask me when I moved into the neighborhood. At first I was proud of this non-recognition. It meant that my transformation was successful, but being seen as an outsider by the people I grew up around started to take a toll on me. I was seeking to fill the void left by leaving the only network of support I had ever known. That was when I found Footsteps, an organization for those who choose to leave the orthodox jewish communities and make a life of their own choosing. It was at Footsteps that I learned what it means to be a valued member of your community, and how good it can feel to support those who support you. After being a member for several years I started an initiative to address the effect that the harsh modesty laws have on the women coming from the orthodox jewish communities. As a result of this initiative I was tapped for the Brooklyn Community Foundation's Youth Fellowship.
Written by: Rachie, BK Fellow The Fellowship has been instrumental in my personal growth as an activist. The entire structure of the Fellowship is based on empowering young activists by acknowledging OUR power and allowing us to affect real change through the grant process. Our fearless leader Mickey set the tone for mutual respect and support and we all followed in our unique ways. I got in touch with the power inside of myself, my fierce activist alter ego. I learned how to use my voice. I learned how to listen with my full attention and to respond thoughtfully to my peers. I learned that I am capable of patience beyond my wildest dreams. When the elections in November shook the world, I was devastated. It was my first presidential election and the results left my sick to my stomach and afraid. We fellows came together, talked about it, worked through our pain and made the decision to go to D.C. to support our immigrant brothers and sisters. That experience brought hope back to my heart, it aroused my passion for positive change and community togetherness. There is still so much work to do, in my life, my community, my world. With the Brooklyn Community Foundation Youth Fellowship under my belt I feel ready to tackle that work.
Rising, together I had a great year being apart of the BCF fellows - from taking trips building with each other to strategizing ways we could give more youth projects money to sharing meals. I learned a lot for the group and from being around young people like myself because it helps build my integrity and keeps my grounded. The fellows have always been dope to me through all our encounters I have appreciated every time spent with them more and more.
Written by: Alex, BK Fellow
I hope I can continue to bring my energy and spirit to beautiful changes that we young people can make in our communities. I want all young people to have a space like this and I am committed to make more spaces like this possible. I see my leadership growing as I meet more youth organizers, I take ideas and skills from them in order to move forward. Together, I see us rising.
What solidarity looks like On Saturday, January 14th the Brooklyn Fellows travelled from New York to Washington D.C in efforts to defend our dream of Immigrant Justice. During this trip, My peers and I were able to take on the role of being youth activists in a major way. This trip was an opportunity for the fellows and I to take all of the skills we have acquired from months of group discussion and physically implement them into something. Leading up to this event, Michelina, the matriarch of our fellowship, carefully informed us of the purpose for attending. As we learned, the rally would be a powerful event, in which individuals of different walks of life come together to shed light on the struggles faced by undocumented immigrants. It was important for us to know that this would be an emotional night, and that we would be there to show solidarity. In showing solidarity, one must continuously fight the battle even when times are tough.
Written by: Alanis, BK Fellow On the morning of the rally, the Brooklyn Fellows were ready for travel. Waking up extremely early on a Saturday morning, with the company of our loved ones was the first step. Although many of us felt tired, playing fun games on the bus ride was beneficial in keeping everyone positive and upbeat. Soon, after many laughs and a few pit stops, the group arrived at the destination. The rally took place inside of a church, contributing to a sense of hope in the atmosphere. In this church, we were introduced to politicians, religious leaders, and activistl organizations. Even having the honor to listen to real-life testimonies from undocumented immigrants and refugees. At the end of this powerful night, I knew a little more about the hurdles that undocumented immigrants face in America and felt motivated to share this new information with my friends in Brooklyn. I learned what true solidarity looks like in action.
Bringing change home Throughout my fellowship at the Brooklyn Community Foundation, there were very beautiful moments. Youth activism serves as an important pillar in my life. I learned along my journey that the youth voice is powerful, indestructible, unique, and fortifiable. Being able to give the youth power and have them believe in their communities was an experience I will forever hold close to me. During the process of choosing the projects for the Youth Voice Awards, I found it amazing that I was able to form bonds and have gotten to know others who care passionately about bettering their communities. We created a safe place and it housed extraordinary talent. One moment in particular was the conference we had at the Brooklyn Women’s YMCA. We created a platform where all justice pillars were present through a series of workshops. It was a great way of educating the community on some issues they weren’t so aware about. I found it amazing because workshops are a great way of cultivating various ideas and developing a new way of thinking about different topics.
Written by: Shafrarisi, BK Fellow We facilitated workshops surrounding various justice pillars. These pillars included immigrant justice, gentrification, LGBTQ justice, healing justice etc. I appreciated seeing the youth coming out to attend as well as my fellow Youth fellows. Through the process of planning the conference, I also learned how to construct an agenda and work alongside a partner. At first it was difficult to get a lot of our ideas down! We had so much to talk about and we were very passionate about immigrant justice, so summarizing everything in a certain amount of time was difficult. However, Gabi did an excellent at running the workshop, as well as educating and relaying the key points we wanted to discuss. The spoken word portion was my favorite! I got to hear amazing works by young people who use art to express themselves. Seeing creativity and passion had me in awe! During my time here, I was able to find my own voice and my own passion. It has shaped my dream of bringing change to Brooklyn.
“A safe space is a place where people feel free. I never experienced what this felt like before.� -Gabi
Youth Fellow
“Organizing for us is a way of life, it’s a rhythm. It is our duty build these freedom dreams.” Mickey Youth Fellows Coordinator