By: Camelle Scott-Mujahid and Christoph Sawyer
Follow our journey @THE_FCYO Youth Power Conference hosted by @YouthOrganizeNC#YouthPower2015#endwaronyouthpic.twitter.com/ngaKeItopj
— Alliance4EdJustice (@4EdJustice) November 13, 2015
Four Youth Led Social change groups from Connecticut joined their peers from all over the country in Durham, North Carolina this fall for the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing’s (FCYO) national convening – Youth Power: Who we are, Where we have come from, and Where we are going. The convening was an opportunity for youth organizers to come together, connect with their history, and share their work with one another.
Youth leaders from Norwalk’s Youth Council for Justice (YC4J), Hartford Food Systems (Grow Hartford), New London’s Hearing Youth Voices, and Connecticut Students for a Dream (based in Stamford) participated in the conference. We spoke with David from YC4J and Omayra from Grow Hartford about their experiences in Durham.
Grow Hartford Youth Organizer Omayra with Organizer Naveena
On our way to the 1st annual FCYO Youth Power convening! #youthpower2015 #youthpowerdurham #firsttimeflyer ✈️ pic.twitter.com/J6kgukfWS3
— Grow Hartford (@GrowHartford) November 12, 2015
David, Youth Organizer at Youth Council for Justice

The event took place at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham

A venue with deep roots in the Black community’s fight for social justice.
We are blessed to be in the Hayti center that has such a rich history in the civil rights movement #youthpower2015
— AAAN (@aaanmarkaz) November 13, 2015
Here are ten amazing things young people did together in Durham.
1) Young people came together . . .
Durham #TQYouthPower w/ @MustafaSullivan @GSANetwork at @THE_FCYO #YouthPower2015 “our existence is resistance” pic.twitter.com/lonayCdsoF
— Geoffrey Winder (@GeoffreyWinder) November 15, 2015
. . . and healed together.
“Self-Care is an act of political warfare” – Audre Lorde #youthpower2015 #endwaronyouth https://t.co/Mf4Fx80oYJ
— Jonathan Stith (@El_Jemedari) November 13, 2015
We began the #YouthPower2015 w/ some powerful #Healing sessions #EndWarOnYouth #SelfCare #AnActOfPoliticalWarfare pic.twitter.com/ySnbQ1ARx4
— Alliance4EdJustice (@4EdJustice) November 13, 2015
“The seminar session was called ‘I love myself and my people.’ Organizing is strenuous and takes a toll on you. You need to take time to deal with yourself and deal with your emotions before trying to help the world. In the session, the facilitator asked, ‘What will you take away from this experience to help yourself heal?’ My response was that I’m taking this to help my group. She came back and said, ‘how will this help you?’ As organizers we think about the people 24/7 and she challenged me to think about myself.”
-David
2) Young people learned together . . .
#YouthPowerDurham Who gets to define who you are? Whoever writes down the history gets to tell the story .@elpuebloinc
— FCYO (@THE_FCYO) November 13, 2015
. . . in workshops
A photo posted by rethink (@rethink.nola) on
“I gained knowledge about different people who did things in the civil rights movements who usually fall to the background. You always think about MLK and Rosa Parks. We learned about this man, T.O. Jones who organized a union. He worked 50 hours a week but was only paid for 40. He got people to walk off work and while they weren’t working. He raised money for them and he paid them”
– Omayra
. . . and on a learning tour of Durham.
Next stop on our learning tour: the beautiful “We Must Remember and Continue to Tell” mural. #YouthPowerDurham pic.twitter.com/KqnSIIjAFs
— Generation Justice (@genjustice) November 13, 2015
“We stopped to see legendary activist Pauline murray’s home. We also saw Black Wall Street after it was taken down. Seeing it as it is now, I’m imagining it as it was then. It looks like a downtown area that’s gentrified.”
– David
3) Young organizers honored those who came before them.
We honor our revolutionary leaders who waged struggle 4 #BlackLiberation #YouthPower2015 #EllaBaker #MalcolmX #Mumia pic.twitter.com/M7PoqdmlqV
— Journey 4 Justice (@J4J_USA) November 13, 2015
4) Young people danced . . .
Feeling the Durham drums. #youthpower2015 #youthpowerdurham
Posted by The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing – FCYO on Saturday, November 14, 2015
. . . rhymed . . .
#YouthPowerDurham #Youthpower2015 pic.twitter.com/sbd5bEh88u
— Algebra Project (@AlgebraProject) November 15, 2015
. . . and made their voices heard.
We have nothing to lose but our chains! #YouthPowerDurham #YouthPower2015 pic.twitter.com/0QXp4ej9dY
— Youth Organizing Int (@YouthOrganizeNC) November 13, 2015
“We did a lot of chants and a lot of songs that brought everyone together. It’s uplifting. I’d like to bring that back to our group.”
– Omayra
5) Young people honored their intersecting identities.
“We must center the work of transwomen & the lives of transwomen in our movement for Black lives.” #YouthPower2015 pic.twitter.com/fYBGNdtPcO
— Alliance4EdJustice (@4EdJustice) November 15, 2015
#SayHerName #BlackGirlsMatter @poweru305 #EndWarOnYouth #YouthPower2015
A photo posted by Alliance 4 Educational Justice (@4edjustice) on
Learning to include non binary language into the conversation in the Black Girls Matter workshop #youthpower2015 #youthpowerdurham
— FCYO (@THE_FCYO) November 14, 2015
“I went to a trans and queer workshop which was really cool. I learned about what they go through. It was impactful because everyone was created in different ways and should be able to live their lives like they want to without people judging them. I also went to a black girls matter workshop. We talked about some powerful things and created a sister bond.”
– Omayra
6) Young people built a vision for the future.
“We who believe in freedom can’t rest until…” Fill in the […] #youthpower2015 #YouthPowerDurham pic.twitter.com/p4GYRIboBl
— Saa’un P. Bell (@SaaunB) November 13, 2015
Make sure to participate in the quilt poster project! We who believe in Freedom cannot rest until…#youthpower2015 pic.twitter.com/JOA5GRDNXA
— Youth Organizing Int (@YouthOrganizeNC) November 13, 2015
7) Young people heard Bree Newsome speak and perform.
S/o to m @BreeNewsome for coming all of the way to the bull city to inspire our youth. #youthpower2015 pic.twitter.com/jyXcWFgn22
— DesmeraGate (@Frocrastinator) November 15, 2015
In the wake of the Charleston Massacre, Bree Newsome captivated the world when she courageously scaled a flagpole at the North Carolina statehouse and took down the Confederate flag.
“I removed the flag not only in defiance of those who enslaved my ancestors in the southern United States, but also in defiance of the oppression that continues against black people globally in 2015 . . . I did it for all the fierce black women on the front lines of the movement and for all the little black girls who are watching us. I did it because I am free.”
– Bree Newsome
8) Young people heard Niya Kenny* tell her story . . .
*Niya watched as her classmate Shakara was violently assaulted by a school resource officer. She was also arrested when she stood up and spoke out in support of the young woman. #Assaultatspringvalleyhigh
. . . and stood in solidarity with her.
@4EdJustice members read letters of solidarity with Shakara & Niyah after #assaultatspringvalleyhigh #youthpower2015 pic.twitter.com/NmLubrzmMA
— Youth Organizing Int (@YouthOrganizeNC) November 14, 2015
9) Young people met with movement elders to discuss Intergenerational Organizing.
We are loving the intergenerational movement building panel at #youthpower2015! #YouthPowerDurham pic.twitter.com/QDeB70xHxR
— Dignity in Schools (@DignityinSchool) November 13, 2015
To be truly intergenerational organizations must involve youth across activities, and not just for one off things #youthpower2015
— Tasha Tucker (@tashatuck328) November 13, 2015
“Older people can bring knowledge of things they have experienced. The young can learn from them and go about ways of organizing and what their next steps should be.”
– Omayra
10) Young people took action together.
“We love you, we see you!” – Protest in solidarity with Inside-Outside #YouthPower2015 #YouthPowerDurham
Posted by The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing – FCYO on Friday, November 13, 2015
#YouthPower2015 #YouthPowerDurham
Posted by The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing – FCYO on Friday, November 13, 2015