January 2026 - Reflections
“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something."
-John Lewis
A few years ago, there was an emerging adult who interviewed for a part-time role with our team. In response to one of the question prompts, they replied that although they didn’t know “if there is a right answer, there are definitely wrong answers.” Some days, this is how I feel about leadership. Over the last few weeks, I have seen our neighbors in Minnesota and friends much closer to home navigate the federal government’s indiscriminate immigration enforcement campaign. I have seen too many ‘wrong answers’ to leadership than I can count – and also so many great ones from local organizations and community members unafraid to do the right thing.
As a parent, I want what every adult wants for their children: safety and opportunity. As a local sports coach and as member of the MYAN team, I want these things for every child in Maine. Leadership can take many different forms on the road to safety and opportunity for all children.
Schools and communities have an obligation to create supportive environments where all youth can thrive and contribute. As adults, we have an obligation to lead, right now, in a manner that models the type of contribution we hope to see young people make.
As a young person, there were family members and communities who guided the development of my moral compass. It is because of their caring commitment, I am clear on what leadership is not:
Leadership is rarely the loudest voice or the best soundbite. True leaders do not stoke fear or bully to assert influence. Self-preservation is not (alone) leadership.
The mission of the Maine Youth Action Network is to strategically convene, collaborate, and partner to build young people’s leadership skills and to strengthen the work of adults and organizations supporting them. MYAN is a statewide community of committed adults and passionate young people who believe in the transformative power of youth leadership. We value young people’s thoughts, voices, and solutions for creating more equitable communities and just systems. Young people’s passion is the vehicle for building leadership skills, resiliencies, positive relationships, and personal agency. These are the factors that help young people lead healthy and successful lives.
For every unknown, it seems there are an equal number of ‘wrong answers’ of how to lead in this moment. Whatever shape leadership takes for you, I hope you are able to lead in community with others and in service of something larger than yourself. We have so many opportunities to show up and make an impact in our communities. Young people are already doing the work alongside our neighbors and friends.
It is always the right day to join them.
Contributed by: beth broderick