What does democracy look like through young people’s eyes? The Next 250: Youth Voices on Democracy is a three-part KQED radio special featuring stories students created and published to the KQED Youth Media Challenge. Each segment explores ways young people are engaging with issues that matter to them.
In the segment, Small Acts, Lasting Change, three students share stories they created through the New Voters summer fellowship and published to the Youth Media Challenge about needs they noticed in their communities and what they did in response.
Mildred Solomon of Newark, New Jersey, describes how the cost of professional clothing nearly kept her from feeling that she belonged at a Model United Nations conference. The experience inspired her to create a clothing closet for other students. Anvi Chaturvedi of Frederick, Maryland, reflects on what she learned at a special education resource fair and how she now works to make support and community events more accessible. Aanya Contractor of Ellicott City, Maryland, shares how her documentary about women undergoing cancer treatment prompted one viewer to pay for another woman’s house cleaning.
Together, their stories show how helping one person can lead to wider change. Click the listen button at the top of this article to hear the segment. Listen on 88.5 KQED on Tuesday, September 29, at 12:50 p.m. or in the KQED app.
More Information
New Voters helps high school students register their peers to vote and take action on issues that matter to their communities.
The KQED Youth Media Challenge invites middle and high school students to explore how they see themselves, their world, and their