In my work with youth, I hope to provide necessary tools and ideas to help facilitate their goals. Young people have the ability to change the world around them with empowerment, guidance, and support from community members and those around them. I’m most passionate about supporting young people’s decisions. I want young people to know that when they make a goal or decision surrounding their life, they should be supported in it. Bettering yourself is cool, empowerment is cool, and social justice is cool. Young people inspire me every day to dream more, be more, and achieve more in my life. They help me set goals and accomplish them just as much as I help them do the same.

One of the things I love most about working with youth is that results are not always obvious and grand…sometimes they’re small and seemingly imperceptible, however, they’re equally impressive and impactful. It is wondrous to see young people, from all walks of life, working together to create something truly beautiful, original, and magnificent in their communities, all while building their own individual strengths and skills. Watching these processes unfold with youth is a constant reminder for me to continue to work on myself, and to remember that life is a constant, unfolding mystery and that I should meet each new challenge with all the vigor and strength I’ve seen in the youth I’ve worked with.

While working with young people in Maine I want them to know that they have a voice, and they are a part of their community. I want young people to know that they are always a part of the community and are a vital asset. Young people are going to change the world and are going to help make huge decisions in the present, and in the future. I see young people becoming more involved in community and state decisions. The part of my job that I enjoy the most is seeing a young person go outside of their comfort area and strive when they take a chance. Working with young people has inspired me to have involvement from all parties when making decisions. Getting insight from young people when a decision is going to be made. Young people are truly amazing and doing this work has shown me that their potential is limitless!

I feel privileged being able to work with young people for a multitude of reasons. Young people are inspiring, knowledgeable, and play a fundamental role in our societies. They are also faced with an array of pressures that impact their health holistically. Adolescence is a crucial time to learn and practice skills that aid in leading enriched lives.

I hear and see our youth in Maine. I once was one of them. They are observant, smart, resilient, and determined. I am their ally. I strive to use my power and my voice to support them. I want them to feel powerful, to belong, to feel smart, to feel heard. Youth with power and voice become young adults with power and voice. We need more of them. All of them.

I hope through my work with youth they will feel empowered to realize a future of possibilities for themselves and their community. Youth have a unique opportunity to impact our state by becoming leaders, using their voice and affecting positive change. I am passionate about working with youth from every background to develop leadership, resiliency and advocacy skills that will help them accomplish their dreams. I am inspired by and learn from youth every day. They have a natural ability to think creatively and come up with amazing ideas.

My mission is to inspire and empower young people to improve their lives and the lives of those in their community. Through supporting youth in finding their passions, strengths, creative abilities, and reconnecting with their culture, they naturally become their most authentic selves. When young people are free and confident with who they are, they inspire others to do the same. We do this through connecting youth from within their own community, as well as from a variety of other areas. It is one of the highlights of the work I do. During the times of interconnection, we provide culturally relevant workshops, activities, and space for them to explore who they are and what they stand for. Connecting youth with each other, as well as with their communities, is powerful and truly inspiring!

The last 3 years of working with young people has shaped my career path and passion for this work. Through this work my hope is to inspire the young people in Maine to stay and better their communities. The youth I work with inspire me daily with their curiosity and resiliency, a message I hope they continue to spread.

To show youth that they have a voice and their opinions matter. My hope is this will instill the confidence to succeed in anything that they put their minds to in the future.