IMPACT REPORT • 2024 – 25
ATLANTA’S HUB FOR TEEN MEDIA & CULTURE
Since 1993, VOX ATL has provided an outlet for teens to share their voices and express their perspectives on the world around them.
As a holistic youth development organization, we support 13-19 year olds in metro Atlanta as they navigate adolescence. All activities are provided at no cost to teens. Teens participate in skill-building workshops, mentoring opportunities with Atlanta media professionals, and story coaching from our adult journalist staff. VOX ATL also provides community-building, leadership development, facilitation training, college/career readiness activities, and social-emotional support.
Highlights from our 2024-25 program evaluations include:
→ 67% of respondents shared that VOX ATL helped them have improved attitudes or behaviors toward their academic success during the 2024-25 school year.
→ 96% of respondents learned new skills at VOX ATL, including interviewing, sourcing, reviewing, photography, peer editing, video/ audio editing, graphic design, and/or writing.
→ 100% of respondents felt emotionally and personally supported by the adult staff at VOX ATL.
→ 100% of respondents answered “how inclusive and welcoming was the VOX Media Cafe environment?” with a 5/5.
JOURNALISM
FELLOWSHIP FALL 2024
Over the course of 12 weeks, teens developed journalism and content creation skills, including researching, interviewing, writing, video and podcast production, and interviewing. The fellowship culminated with teens publishing their own creative content and showcasing it at a community event in December. Participants were eligible for a $500 stipend.
“VOX has given me a voice and an outlet to where I can truly be myself and not feel judged.”
“VOX has made my voice feel listened to and heard! VOX inspired me to create my own safe place for other teens, and has pushed me to always be positive and respectful. I want to make others feel the way VOX has made me feel over the years!”
VOX INVESTIGATES SPRING 2025
Teens also shared the following ways that being a part of VOX ATL impacted them
“VOX impacted me by improving my mental health and making my Saturdays more enjoyable.”
“VOX has provided a safe space to express myself, learn new skill vital to the fields I want to go to, and create a community that helps inspire creativity and that I can learn from.”
A cohort of teens spent the semester researching and reporting on the topic of propaganda. They planned the print edition, published digital content, and helped organize VOX-A-Palooza. Participants were eligible for a $500 stipend.
“It exposed me to new career opportunities which allowed me to develop an idea of what I want my future to be like.”
2025 ATLANTA YOUTH POET LAUREATE
In partnership with Urban Word, we hosted the 2025 Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate Competition. Congratulations to our 2025 Atlanta YPL, Norah FonderKristy (bottom photo), and our 2025 YPL Ambassadors, Jalen Hagans, Lexi Markam, Reagan Hudson, and Ankita Jaikumar (not pictured).
Summer campers spent two weeks exploring multimedia production, journalism, and public speaking, and published digital content on the topic of their choosing. Thanks to our partners 11Alive, Bloomberg, SCAD, and Warner Bros. Discovery for supporting participants with career exploration through interactive field trips.
During the 2024-25 program year, VOX served more than 140,098 teens, supportive adults and audience members:
72
teens and young adults from 35 different metro Atlanta schools across Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Henry counties through our school-year program
26 1,400 25,000+
teens from 23 different metro Atlanta schools through VOX Media Cafe (VMC), our summer multimedia camp
101,000+ BY THE NUMBERS
teens and adults through 37 community workshops, events and self-expression opportunities print readers at 270+ schools and youth-friendly organizations digital audience members connecting with our content at VOXATL.org and social media channels
At our annual youth voice showcase in May 2025, the VOX Investigates team shared our new print edition; community partners offered resources to support teens’ well-being; and our 2025 Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate and Ambassadors performed original poetry.
MAPPING A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
With feedback from teens, board members, staff, funders, and other key stakeholders, VOX ATL created our 2025-27 strategic plan. This document includes an updated mission, vision, and priorities, and serves as a guide for the organization to become a pillar of teen culture, serving as the preferred source of media and a safe third space for exploration and growth for teens in Atlanta.
OUR MISSION
VOX ATL prepares teens for life, career, and community by harnessing the power of youth voice and uncensored self-expression
OUR VISION
A culture where all teens are thriving mentally, socially, and emotionally
FY25 FINANCIALS
In FY25, VOX ATL raised approximately $772,000. We appreciate the many individuals, foundations, companies and government agencies who financially support us!
VOX BEE
We brought back the VOX Bee! This adult spelling bee offered opportunities to raise funds, enjoy community, and celebrate three teens with the Spirit of VOX award for making VOX ATL a safe, supportive and creative community for their peers. We also honored Maurice Garland and Jewel Wicker for their work and commitment to shaping today’s generation of young storytellers.
PARTNERSHIPS
NEW WEBSITE
FREE YOUR FEELS
Through this collaborative effort, we worked alongside the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Silence the Shame and Voices for Georgia’s Children to support teens in staying mentally healthy by exploring their true feelings and accessing the resources they need.
We launched a brand new website at voxatl.org to make it easier for you to explore teen-created content, get involved with upcoming community events, and support Atlanta’s young storytellers.
We are grateful and proud to have partnered with these additional organizations in 2024-25 to amplify teens’ voices through field trips, joint programming, and publishing activities, as well as by providing training and technical assistance to increase youth voices and leadership in organizations that serve teens:
Asian American Journalists’ Association
Atlanta Public Schools
Bloomberg Philanthrophies
Boys & Girls Club of East DeKalb City of Atlanta
DeKalb County School District
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Georgia Parent Support Network
Georgia Safe Schools Coalition
Georgia Statewide Afterschool
Network
Free Your Feels
Fulton County Board of Health
Inspire Brands
Learn4Life
Los Niños Primero
MENTOR GA
Morehouse School of Medicine
National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter
National Education Association
North Springs High School & Sandy Springs Education Force
Project Uplift & Stone Mountain High School
Sage
SCAD Atlanta
Silence the Shame
Society of Professional Journalists - Georgia
Urban Word
Usher’s New Look
Voices for Georgia’s Children
Warner Bros. Discovery
Woodland Middle School
FY25 VOX ATL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Joshua Penny, Hinge, Board Chair
Monée Williams, Synchrony Bank, Board Vice Chair
Kési Felton, MissionWired, Board Secretary
Kerry Wilkerson, Rialto Group, Board Treasurer
Kayla Altland, Park Pride
Caryn Anderson, stakeholderbrand co.
Hunter Buchheit, Emory University, VOX ATL Teen
Leroy Chapman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marcelle English, Fulton County Government
Erica Endicott, Erica Endicott Design Studio
Kennedy Felton, Straight Arrow News
Caitlin Highland, The States Project
Dianna Hill, CNN
Crystal Jordan, Cobb County School District
Jada Kelley, Brookwood High School, VOX ATL Teen
Joseph Lockett, Aye Producer, Inc.
Lexi Markham, The Paideia School, VOX ATL Teen
Sonia Murray, Georgia Public Broadcasting
Richard Quartarone, Community Volunteer
Olivia Steen, Gas South
Tahlisha Williams, Good Fruit Consulting
FY25 VOX ATL ADULT STAFF
Charaun Cash, Executive Director
Rachel Alterman Wallack, Mission Director
Courtni Hill, Digital Media Specialist
Malayaka Howard, Development Manager
Lauren McEwen, Program Director
John Verner, Publishing Editor