“Its hard not to be inspired when you see young people you work with grow into the best versions of themselves. It inspires me as I watch the resilience, the fight, the laughter and the courageousness of young people in a world that is often incredibly hard to navigate. It inspires me to push the boundaries of what is possible and hold true to myself. Young people inspire me to listen more, check myself and teach me what I need to do to in order to grow in my own work and personal life. They also inspire me to remember the punch line for my jokes. I’m really terrible at that. As a new Dad myself I must do better!”
“In being a part of this team, I know I am helping to build a supportive network of adult allies that are responsive to the youth in their communities and together are working to shift access and decision making. “A better tomorrow” is what I work towards. Building these connections and supporting the foundational and administrative efforts to ensure that others can engage directly with youth are the best parts of my position here at MYAN. I am consistently inspired and pushed by young people. Their honesty and creativity remind me to continually learn and strive for a better understanding of myself and the world we all live in.”
“Maine has so many great communities making it a special place to work! I love learning from the many young people and adults we partner with at MYAN, and I trust that our collective work is building the foundation for authentic, diverse leadership to guide our state into the future.”
“I hope to create a sense of home for students of color in Maine. To find a way for them to have a space—if not helping them create or strengthen one in school, then to have one outside of school. What keeps me coming back to working with youth is knowing I’m recognizing a community that I am a part of. Being a person of color and a product of the Portland Public Schools system, it’s only right to try and recognize the work young people of color are doing.”
“I have a love of stories—hearing other people’s stories and creating stories together about the world we want to make. I believe in the power of doing research with young people to lift up the stories they have lived and the communities they want to build.”
“My experiences growing up in Downeast Maine shape my approach to youth engagement work today! I am deeply passionate about creating connections with Maine communities to expand development opportunities for young people and their adult allies. This process focuses on cultivating relationships and identifying the needs of individual communities while engaging local resources and problem solvers. I truly believe that young people need to be at the heart of this work and thus should be invited to co-create at every step. The values of Maine communities are a core component of my work in youth organizing and I look forward to any, and all, opportunities to work with the young people of my home state!”
“I am consistently blown away by the work young people are doing to better themselves and their communities! I hadn’t seen myself in education or youth development until I had the opportunity to work in a Lewiston after school program through AmeriCorps. The passion and drive I saw and continue to see in young people inspires me to continue.”
“In his book Ujaama, Mwalimu Nyerere proclaims that everyone has a gift, thus, a unique and equal contribution to society. No matter ability, age, background, etc. It is this that the youth have relentlessly worked to have reflected in our systems and why I work alongside them.”
“I am inspired by the leadership of young people because of their willingness to take risks – to try bold, new things – for healthier, happier, and more equitable communities. Amplifying youth voice and creating opportunities for youth leadership is the most exciting aspect of working on the MYAN team.”
“I’m compelled to pursue my work with young people, because I’m invested in young people. Their imagination is still very much intact and it leads to a lot of out of the box thinking – dynamic solutions that defy expectation. To ignore young people is to miss an opportunity. A lot is lost when a society fails to recognize the expertise of its youth. What would our world look like if we committed to listening to young people? I’m inspired by my work, because I want to be a part of creating a world that hears everyone’s voice.”
