What Kind of Virginia Do Young People Imagine?

What happens when young people are given the space to not only learn about the policies shaping their lives, but to question them, challenge them and imagine something different?

That question was at the heart of the 2026 VAYA Policy Incubator, the first in-person gathering for our newest Virginia’s Youth in Action (VAYA) cohort.

The Policy Incubator was designed to give the cohort space to dig deeper into the issues impacting young people and families across the commonwealth, connect policy to lived experience and begin developing skills we hope they will carry with them beyond their VAYA journey.

But just as importantly, it was a chance to be in community.

After beginning their VAYA experience virtually, cohort members were excited to learn alongside their peers, VAYA Fellows, Voices staff, community partners and leaders working across Virginia. And throughout the day, one idea continued to surface: policy isn’t just something young people can learn about. It’s something they can question, help shape and reimagine.

Seeing the People Behind Policy

Public policy can easily become a conversation about bills, budgets and data. But behind every policy decision are young people, families and communities experiencing its impact.

At the Incubator, VAYA members explored the connection between policy and practice alongside community partners working across Voices’ issue areas. They heard different perspectives and considered how decisions made within systems show up in people’s everyday lives.

Those conversations also challenged participants to think about what we consider evidence. Data can show us where disparities exist. Community knowledge and lived experience help us understand what those disparities mean.

Effective advocacy needs both.

The Virginia You Imagine

Before asking young people how they would change policy, we asked them to imagine what could be different.

Through an activity called The Virginia You Imagine, cohort members tapped into radical imagination. Rather than starting with a particular bill, an existing system or what currently seems possible, they started with the future they wanted to see:

What should it look and feel like to grow up in Virginia? What would have to be different? What do young people need from the systems around them?

With magazines, scissors and glue, participants turned a familiar arts-and-crafts activity into a visual blueprint for the Virginia they want to see, piecing together their ideas for communities where young people and families can thrive.

But imagining where we want to go is only part of the work. Figuring out how we get there is where things get more complicated.

LEARNING TO NAVIGATE THE HARD QUESTIONS

That tension came to life through a deliberative dialogue, an activity that gave VAYA members space to explore a complex policy issue, hear different perspectives and weigh possible approaches together.

Using health equity as the focus, participants considered one central question:

How do we make sure where you live or who you are doesn’t determine how healthy you can be?

There wasn’t one “right” answer. Instead, participants considered different approaches and the tradeoffs that came with each, while listening to how others viewed the problem and its possible solutions.

Another participant reflected on what happened when everyone had an opportunity to share:

“Some of the responses made me rethink what I was thinking. It helped me consider that my point of view may not be the most ideal and someone else may have a better solution.”

That willingness to listen and reconsider is part of the work.

Advocacy requires more than caring deeply about an issue. It also requires examining evidence, asking difficult questions, weighing competing priorities and listening to people who may see the path forward differently.

FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE WORK

The Incubator also brought the conversation back to something deeply personal: our stories.

VAYA Fellows, alumni of past VAYA cohorts, led participants through a storytelling workshop exploring how our experiences shape the way we understand the issues and systems around us.

For young people, those experiences matter. They don’t need a degree, a title or years of professional experience for their perspectives to have value. Lived experience is its own form of evidence, offering insight into what policies and data can look like in someone’s everyday life.

But storytelling is also about listening. Participants explored what it means to share their own truth while making room for people whose experiences and perspectives may be different from theirs.

When young people bring together lived experience, research, listening and policy knowledge, they aren’t simply learning how advocacy works.

BUILDING TOWARD WHAT’S NEXT

The Policy Incubator was the first time this VAYA cohort gathered together in person, but it was never meant to be a standalone experience.

When participants were asked to describe the day, their responses painted a clear picture:

And perhaps one of the simplest reflections captured something important, too:

The questions, ideas and perspectives that emerged from the Incubator will continue with us.

Through monthly virtual meetings, cohort members will continue strengthening their skills in policy, advocacy, storytelling and community engagement as they prepare for their next in-person convening: Intergenerational Advocacy Day. There, VAYA members will have an opportunity to engage directly in advocacy alongside community members and partners at Virginia’s General Assembly.

The Policy Incubator gave us a place to imagine what could be different.

The months ahead will give this cohort more opportunities to explore how they can be part of making that difference.