A group of youth organizers want to translate social media connections into in-person advocacy and enact change in state systems.
Youth Minds United (YMU), a Memphis and youth-led organizing group, will host its first Youth Power Rally, on Saturday June, 20, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bridges USA, located at 477 North 5th Street.
The group is focused on power-building through youth advocacy to fight back systemic inequities and preconceived notions around their age-group. YMU hopes to get 50 to 75 young people engaged and connected to each other, while also building momentum for its action campaigns.
“Youth of Memphis deserve safe schools, safe neighborhoods, and local leaders who listen to their constituents,” the group said in a statement.
The rally comes as organizers called for change within the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. They asked the department to better prioritize the safety of young people, and called for policy change and reform.
Jasmine Bernard, co-founder of YMU, said while DCS’ goal is supposed to be to protect young people, she feels it often “gets dropped by the wayside.”
Bernard said they are working with elected officials to make local change, but still need to bring more young people into the conversation. She knows Memphis’ youth are intersectional, and hopes the rally will encourage action.
“We have so many stories [and] things that we are impacted by and don’t have a voice in,” Bernard said. “The idea of the Youth Power Rally is not only to provide us a launching point of the DCS campaign, but to also create more of a movement for young people period.”
The organizer noted that while young people are connected more than ever on social media, they still face barriers to getting involved. Bernard said many of these barriers, such as transportation, exist regardless of age.
“We can connect with people on social media, but it’s really hard to get those social media people off of the likes and start moving them towards true action,” she says. “You’ve got to get in the streets [for] connecting people”
Youths are also facing long-standing myths and stereotypes that make tangible change difficult. Bernard says adults tout openness and understanding when engaging with young people, however they’re still told that their voices don’t matter. While they’ve been able to have conversations with local leaders, she says it’s still hard for them to focus on and amplify youth voices.
“There aren’t many opportunities in general for young people to have their voices heard, and a lot of times when they are, it’s tokenizing,” Bernard said.
Bernard and YMU have encouraged their peers to take lessons from the Civil Rights Movement, as organizers engaged and mobilized people quickly through authentic conversations. Bernard says this was also accomplished through door-knocking and collaboration with other partners.
YMU hopes its rally will be a starting point to get youth connected with their group and other organizations, such as Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope’s (MICAH) Youth Council, Young, Gifted and Green, and Youth Action Network 901.
“Find what you’re passionate about and organize around it,” Bernard said. “We can only do so much if we stay in our current silos. We have to keep reaching out to other young people.”
