Virginia’s Youth in Action
An Advocacy Council By Voices
Voices for Virginia’s Children hosts a 9-month cohort of young changemakers on our advocacy council, Virginia’s Youth in Action (VAYA). This youth development program will enhance young advocates’ abilities to engage with lawmakers to advance their communities through advocacy, storytelling, and community engagement. This cohort will learn how to share their stories and experiences with others and provide feedback on policies that affect them. The purpose of the cohort is to create a space for youth to have a voice at the table and establish meaningful change and influence in the systems that have impacted their lives.
To inquire about the 2024-25 cohort or learn more about Virginia’s Youth in Action, please contact Sophia Booker, Advocacy & Engagement Manager, sophia@vakids.org.
Meet the brilliant cohort of 2023-24!
Amirah | 19 | Northern Virginia
Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Amirah is interested in advocacy for criminal justice, foster care, child welfare, early childhood education, economic justice, and racial justice.
Cherokee | 21 | Central Virginia
“If I was a color, I would be white, vast in my blankness. Pure, whole, virginal, predictable….Boring. The colors thrown at me didn’t bleed into my canvas and leave a mark. The colors washed out with nothing but water. That’s what made this story so hard to remember. It’s hard facing a mirror and seeing all you are made of and all you couldn’t absorb. But I’m open to be changed. To be in a place where I can hold all the colors I love at once, appreciate what they are, and learn from them. I’m open to new beginnings.” – Tiffany Jackson
Cherokee is interested in advocacy for food and nutrition, community health, mental health, economic justice, identity and belonging, racial justice.
Emnet | 20 | Northern Virginia
I hope to create positive change in my community and inspire others to do the same.
Emnet is interested in advocacy for early childhood education, identity and belonging, and mental health.
Janiah | 16 | Valley
I’m my mother and father, more or less. I’m the product. Of my father, who showed me the meaning of my skin. Of my mother, who taught me what you can’t find in books. From my mother and father, but, I’m me – thirsty for knowledge and what’s hidden beneath the surface.
Janiah is interested in advocacy for foster care, child welfare, food and nutrition, mental health, identity and belonging, and racial justice and equity.
Janai | 24 | Central Virginia
“Philippians 13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Janai is interested in advocacy for transitioning and placement services, parents rights in teaching curriculum, special education and inclusion, and early childhood education.
Jazz | 18 | Central Virginia
“The bad news is time flies; the good news is you’re the pilot.”
Jazz is interested in advocacy for mental health, racial justice, and addressing the wealth gap.
Josiya | 20 | Central Virginia
Believing in yourself when no one does is the real talent.
Josiya is interested in advocacy for foster care, early childhood education, mental health, economic justice, identity and belonging, and racial justice.
Kennedy | 18 | Central Virginia
Change can be a slow process; we must continue to do the work and advocate for legislative change. I fight so that policy is not just politics; that we’re seen, heard, and cared for as a community. I hope they hear my words, see my actions, and understand the impact their decisions have on real people struggling with real issues.
Kennedy is interested in advocacy for mental health and racial justice.
Liz | 16 | Southwest Virginia
“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.”- John F. Kennedy
Liz is interested in advocacy for foster care, child welfare, early childhood education, food and nutrition, community health, mental health, economic justice, identity and belonging, and racial justice and equity.
Micah | 18 | Hampton Roads
“It needs to be taken into account that these young kids will one day be our future leaders, but if their burdens and trauma have yet to be addressed and allowed space for healing, that kid may never blossom into the unique person they are.”
Micah is interested in advocacy for foster care and child welfare, early childhood education, mental health, economic justice, racial justice, and criminal justice.
NaDeja | 23 | Central Virginia
I am here to stand in the gap for marginalized families across Virginia. As a mother myself, my mission is to advocate for the kids we are raising. I am hoping to change the narrative surrounding parental involvement within my community. We are here for our kids, and we do care about policies that impact their lives. I plan to showcase that care.
NaDeja is interested in advocacy for religious freedom in education, early childhood education, food and nutrition, mental health, economic justice, racial justice and equity, and community health policy areas.
Primas | 16 | Hampton Roads
There is a quote that my grandfather says to me, and it is, ‘If not now, then when,’ and this is something that he has spoken in my life since I can remember. The quote can be used in our daily lives, politics and when helping others. So this is why that little quote means so much to me.
Primas is interested in advocacy for early childhood education, food and nutrition, racial justice and equity, foster care, child welfare, identity and belonging, economic justice, community health, and mental health.
Santiago | 17 | Valley
“Medice cura te ipsum.”
Santiago is interested in advocacy for immigration policy, mental health, identity and belonging, and racial justice.