Community Partnership and Youth Leadership

Stoneleigh Youth Advocacy Fellow Brit Christopher authored a blog post on why community partnership and youth voice are essential components of effective advocacy. 

Youth perspective allows people to see how juvenile legal system involvement, foster system placement, over-policing, detention, and family separation affect young people’s development. Their lived experiences bring authenticity and urgency to movements because they are speaking from personal experience rather than observation alone.

When young people stand in solidarity with one another, adults are often more willing to listen because youth can display a united front and provide a unique perspective on issues often discussed only through statistics, policies, or stereotypes. Youth also bring creativity, digital advocacy skills, peer outreach, and community knowledge that the typical adult isn’t hip to. Youth know what’s relevant and what’s important to their peers; their close connection to the issues and their knowledge can strengthen organizing efforts and push movements forward.

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