youth voice Archives | Youth Today

When working can’t feed families, youth have to find a new way

Editor’s note: In just two years, a financial literacy platform started by a New Jersey teenager has grown into an international movement....

What Long Beach can teach communities about youth participatory budgeting_feature: group of young people collaborating around wooden table with laptops and charts

459

News

What Long Beach can teach communities about youth participatory budgeting

In 2026, more than 1,400 young people in Long Beach, California, voted on how to allocate $500,000 in public funding among 10...

Beyond the panic-Turning youth AI anxiety into strategic digital literacy_feature: Glowing orange neon graduation cap sitting on a high tech digital circuit board representing the intersection of technology, AI anxiety and education

610

Opinion

Beyond the panic: Turning youth “AI anxiety” into strategic digital literacy

A career counselor says youth 'AI anxiety' isn't irrational — exploring its risks and benefits together can build trust and practical solutions.

QA-Brit Christopher Gabriel Arika youth prisons don't work-magazine of youth perspectives building movement_feature: magazine page with graphic, colorful illustration from No Kids in Prison magazine, youth incarceration

1.7K

News

Q&A: Brit Christopher and Gabriel Arika on why youth prisons don’t work — and how their youth-led magazine is building a movement

The No Kids in Prison magazine is a project of Youth First Justice Collaborative (YFJCo), a national organization dedicated to ending youth...

People want to help youth who are brave enough to be different_feature: young Asian woman crouches next to buckets with mushrooms growing out of them

863

From the Field

People want to help youth who are brave enough to be different

My experience with Fungi For Future has shown me that when young leaders pursue what excites them, community support often follows.

A for no effort-high school grade inflation_feature: a paper on wooden desk with "A+" written on it

1.3K

Opinion

“A” for… no effort: High school grade inflation

A recent Texas high school graduate on what grade inflation looks like from inside the classroom.

Q&A Shourya Kancharla, 16-year-old founder of Simple Minds Matter, youth mental health _feature: young man holding pamphlet at event

2.6K

From the Field

Q&A with Shourya Kancharla, 16-year-old founder of Simple Minds Matter, on bringing affordable online therapy to high school students

Karen Pittman gets the story of how a 13-year-old designed a brilliant solution to a much talked about problem — youth mental...

The 15-year-old behind Florida's new bipartisan drowning prevention law_feature, youth-led initiative : white teen male helps several black children in learn to swim in swimming pool

1.2K

From the Field

The 15-year-old behind Florida’s new bipartisan drowning prevention law

The successful push for access to life-saving swimming lessons for Florida elementary-age kids shows us that law-makers will follow a youth-led initiative.

The power of youth voice _feature: female student gives presentation in front of classroom

2.1K

From the Field

The power of voice

Debate’s transferable skills — including public speaking, critical thinking and intellectual humility — empower youth voice.

Trusting youth, We keep asking young people to trust us-But how much do we really trust them_feature: two female students giving presentation while educator looks on

2.5K

Opinion

We keep asking young people to trust us. But how much do we really trust them?

Across the allied youth fields, youth are often asked to contribute but rarely allowed to shape outcomes.

Strengthening school-afterschool partnership_Tips trends 2026 School Superintendents Conference_feature: man speaks and presents in front of room full of people with a screen to his left

2.5K

From the Field

Strengthening school/afterschool partnership: Tips and trends from the 2026 School Superintendents Conference

At the 2026 National Conference on Education hosted in Nashville by the School Superintendents Association, I heard a sentence that defined my...

Why agency, voice and coherence is the work_feature: group of diverse youth smiling

1.9K

Opinion

Why agency, voice and coherence is the work: Supporting social, emotional and academic well-being and thriving in challenging times and contexts

From a developmental perspective, coherence is not something young people are told they are part of; it is something they feel.

Twice a refugee _feature: This black-and-white image depicts a dramatic scene of a person holding their head, seemingly distressed, while standing under long, vertical shadows resembling prison bars. The composition and the strong contrast between light and dark create an intense atmosphere, evoking feelings of confinement, mental struggle, and isolation. The texture of the ground and the person's silhouette add depth to the emotional narrative of the photograph.

2.0K

Opinion

Twice a refugee

A young, LGBTQ refugee shares their journey from Africa to Trump's United States and then Canada, highlighting the fear permeating immigrant communities.

When accomodations exist on paper but not in practice_how ACT testing fails disadvantaged student with disabilities: male high school student taking test on laptop

3.2K

Opinion

When accommodations exist on paper but not in practice: How ACT testing fails students with disabilities

Students with disabilities face barriers when trying to access standardized testing accommodations, especially those without strong adult support networks.