Youth Voice Awards

Arts & Democracy

Award recipient Hasiba Haq with Arts & Democracy for "Sari Project," which aims to connect young Bangladeshis with women in the community in an intergenerational exchange of stories using the idea of Saris, a traditional outfit for Bangladeshi women, to explore their immigration stories and their histories. The project will help young immigrants and second-generation youth connect with elders in their society, and help carve an identity for them in a diverse borough.

Off the Page, Inc

Award recipient Shaqur Williams with Off the Page, Inc for "All American Boys," a show adapted from the book by the same name that addresses different points of view between a black teenager and a white teenager in a community and the way police officers approach them. The project brings black and white actors together to work on this production and to talk about the problem facing the black community and how to work together to address it.

Center for NuLeadership

Award recipient Yamil Torres with the Center for NuLeadership for “Bridging the Healing Gap,” which will facilitate gatherings that provide space and educate youth who are affiliated with gangs and/or are street involved about how, why, and where gangs originated, explain political and racial history, and principles of what gangs were founded on. The second half of the project will focus on changing the way the larger community views the youth by opening up dialogue with an intergenerational event.

Eco:StationNY

Award recipient Iyeshima Harris with Eco:StationNY for "Farm to Cafeteria," a student-led outreach project focusing on healthy eating and self-empowerment that engages students at a place and time they are thinking about food: the lunchroom. The project will use school lunch and culturally relevant food to teach youth how to healthfully and affordably prepare meals they love.

Ancient Song Doula Services

Awarded to Sevonna Marie Brown with Ancient Song Doula Services for "Reproductive Renaissance," which uses grassroots political philosophy to foster a restorative space for women of color to come together and seek refuge in reproductive justice and education. Black girls and women of color have a history of using their personal spaces—the living room, grandma’s bedroom, the kitchen, the beauty salon, the front porch—as spaces for women-centered empowerment and healing.

Brooklyn Free School

Award recipient The Brooklyn Free School Team for "Let's Talk About It! Housing Justice," a project aimed at educating and creating a documentary on housing justice and gentrification. It will engage youth by arranging visits to town hall meetings, reading articles and watching interviews addressing housing, gentrification and justice, as well as opportunities to engage with the Mayor’s office and participate in local shelter events. As part of the project, the youth team will create a documentary and facilitate a workshop for youth on housing rights.