(soft whooshing) (bright upbeat music) - Hello, and welcome to Generation Grit.

Our exciting new series, discussing solutions to issues impacting our community through the eyes of Generation Z. I'm your host, Carey Joy.

And tonight we're discussing youth activism and how this age group is making an impact on our future.

We have an amazing panel with us here tonight.

Joining me in the studio, we have Aly Belknap.

She is the Senior Organizing Manager at New Era Colorado.

Aly is a firm believer in the power of progressivism and youth power.

She works to build strategies that deeply engage and mobilize young people to build towards a progressive vision for Colorado.

Her work covers a variety of issues that matter to young people.

Thank you for being here, Aly.

- Thank you.

- We also have Ashley Garcia Torres.

She is a first-generation student currently attending Regis University as a freshman.

She is currently majoring in Politics with a minor in Pre law and Environmental Science.

And is a college intern with YAASPA but has been working with them since her junior year of high school.

Thanks for being here with us, Ashley.

- Thank you.

- Also joining us on the phone is Tracie Trinidad, the Program and Talent Manager with YAASPA.

She identifies as a Chicana feminist, educator, and community activist.

Tracie is currently in her final year of her PhD program at the University of Denver in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program.

Tracie's lens in guiding her commitment to social justice is rooted in critical race theory.

Thanks for being here, Tracie.

- Thank you for having me.

- So I'm gonna go ahead and start with you.

I'd like you to tell us a little bit about what YAASPA does.

- YAASPA stands for, Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism, and we collaborate and co-create with youth who desire to make change in our communities.

And we support them in navigating higher education by looking at social justice careers and social science degrees.

- And as you, Aly, what does New Era Colorado do?

- Yeah, so we are one of the most effective youth voter mobilization organizations in the country.

And we work in Colorado to mobilize young people on the issues that matter to them like abortion, climate rights, you know, student debt is a big one for us.

And we organize with young people on campus, at the ballot box, at the legislature.

So through a variety of ways.

- Beautiful, thank you.

We actually have a quick video of one of your campaigns that we'd like to show, to give an example of New Era's work.

So let's take a look.

(soft music) - Every generation needs a new revolution.

There's a difference between a moment and a movement.

Revolution isn't frozen in time.

It's a fine river that starts as a stream and grows to a war.

It is the fulfillment of a dream dreamt by people who see the summit after yet another peak that turns into a false promise.

One in three eligible voters this election will be under 35 years old.

Welcome to a movement in history.

A new born page created by unity and the hands, voices that write and speak it into existence.

We were born into a society that defined safety as a complacent whisper, but now, nobody has more at stake than we do.

Looking up to those who came before us, inheriting all their impossibles, all their, what ifs and marching forth with why not.

They say sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.

This is why we vote.

This election isn't about one candidate or another.

It's about our past, our present, and our future.

(inspiring music plays) We vote because defending our communities is more than a hashtag.

Because equality doesn't always equal justice.

Because mother earth is catching her breath on the smog we create, trying to keep the lights on.

When we defend the air, we defend the rights of everyone who breaths it.

Because education shouldn't come with its very own debt collection agent.

Because borderlines should never be strong enough to sever a family.

Because wages should add up to respect.

Because we know that protest can co-exist with process.

Our challenges are real, but so are our solutions.

When we put our truths into motion, like having packed powder in a cannon, all that's left is the spark and together we can light up the sky, because we are the revolution we've been waiting for.

This is why we vote.

- So Aly, tell us why you got started with New Era Colorado.

- Really, what I was looking for was a political home, somewhere I could really live my values and put in the work to create the change that I wanna see.

And when I was looking for an organization that I could work with and organize with to do that, it was really New Era Colorado that stood out to me as a place where young people can do that.

- Beautiful, beautiful.

And, Ashley, tell us a little bit about why you guys started with YAASPA.

- So I started with YAASPA just because I attended one of their youth events and then Janiece just offered me a paid internship.

And I, at the time I was really confused as to why she offered me out of everyone there.

And I think she saw something in me that I didn't see in myself.

And so when I began to get involved with YAASPA and really began to participate more with them, it was more than just being a part of them for political reasons.

And it was about finding a home.

It was about finding a family, and it was about getting the support through them that I didn't really receive growing up in terms of activism and wanting to pursue a career in activism in the future.

- Well, thank you so much for what it is that you do and how you contribute to a better future for all of us, right?

What are some of the greatest issues that we see, that we're facing today in Generation Z?

And I'll start with you Aly if that's cool.

- Yeah, that's a big question.

It all comes under the umbrella of injustice.

I mean, we are facing a climate catastrophe and this is something that Generation Z has been facing since we even have memories of what's been going on around us.

And we're facing economic injustice, we're facing racial injustice.

These are things that are all interlocked, interlocking oppressions that really we need to fight back on.

And I know that young people are doing that and we need to be listened to especially young people of color.

- Absolutely, absolutely.

Any issues that you wanted to add to that at all, Ashley?

- Not necessarily.

I think that the biggest thing is that these issues are all systemic.

And we as individuals, we can't build a home on a broken foundation.

So, I think a big part of activism in us making a change is, making sure that we're healing ourselves and acknowledging mental health issues.

I think that's another huge, a part of Gen Z and to the way that we're trying to heal ourselves.

- Absolutely.

So we talked about the climate catastrophe.

We talk about racial injustice, social injustice.

Why are these issues specifically important to you personally?

I'm gonna start with you on this one, Ashley.

- I think that these issues are important to me because they impact me on a regular basis.

They are things that hold me back.

They're things that well, they don't always hold me back 'cause I don't allow them to.

And a big a part as to why that I care about these issues is because of a quote that YAASPA uses a lot.

It's my liberation is your liberation.

We cannot succeed if we don't allow each other to succeed.

So, I care about these issues because I wanna make sure that I can succeed so that everyone around me can succeed and live their best capable life.

- Yeah, none of us are free until all of us are free.

I love that, thank you.

What about you, Aly?

- I totally agree.

That really resonates with me.

And I think, yeah, just having personal skin in the game, having so much student debt and just having so much uncertainty about my own future, and my family's future, and my community's future, and then just needing and feeling like I just really need to make that my life and to fight for that.

- Yeah, thank you both so much for that.

So, from your personal perspectives, what value do you see in young people engaging in youth activism?

I'll start with you, Aly, yes.

(all laughing) - I would say that, I mean, young people have been on the forefront of our movement since, as far back as time.

And we don't achieve change without young people and without young people of color.

And I think the biggest thing isn't that we haven't been speaking and we haven't been demanding change, it's that nobody's been listening until we make ourselves heard and we make it impossible not to hear us.

And so, I think that young people really have such a voice and such an important role in moving us forward as we always have.

- Yeah, thank you for that.

How about you, Ashley?

- I completely agree.

And like another big aspect to it is that, we have the capability to mobilize easier because you have social media- - Yeah.

- And we can connect to our peers easier.

We allow to share our trauma with each other, and by sharing our trauma with each other, we can resonate with each other and advocate for each other because a big part of Gen Z in my opinion, is empathy and understanding each other.

- Absolutely.

You mentioned social media, right?

You know, information moves so quickly around the world nowadays.

And so that makes me wonder, how do we define activism, right?

There's so many different definitions.

And I wanted to hear from you, I'll start with you, Ashley, how do you define activism?

- That is a very difficult question.

I'm not necessarily sure how I would define activism.

I know things that go into activism such as, making sure that you do not uphold white supremacist ideals, making sure that you are advocating for your peers, advocating for yourself.

So, maybe I would define activism as rebuilding the foundation to your home.

- Yeah, absolutely, thank you.

How about you, Aly?

- Totally agree, and I think really defining and agreeing on community needs, and a way to achieve, you know, fulfilling those needs.

And I think that young people play a huge role there in our communities and we're seeing so much mutual aid work happening and so much movement building happening.

And so, we know that activism doesn't just happen in the ballot box though, of course voting is extremely important.

We're seeing so many different ways that young people are coming together and communities are coming together to define our needs and to meet our needs.

- Absolutely, filling those gaps for each other, right?

You mentioned mutual aid.

I saw a, I would say a huge increase in mutual aid during COVID.

And you know, it was kind of this perfect storm when COVID hit and the murder of George Floyd and people were out on the streets, right?

And so, how do you think COVID has impacted activism?

What changed?

What maybe, what could we do better?

- I would say that people's material needs have been so impacted by the pandemic and by the consequential unemployment, and just desperation.

And I think that that's really felt among young people, our families, our communities who are really just experiencing the impacts of this.

And the impacts are the greatest on marginalized communities, because we're seeing that the pandemic is stretching the racial wage gap and the gender wage gap.

We're seeing that folks are struggling to make payments on their student loans.

And we're seeing that folks who have private student loans are getting no support.

And the list goes on.

I think that we're really...

The time is now for us to come together and really make our voices heard about what our needs are and demand that they're met.

- Yeah, thank you.

Anything you'd like to add?

- Yeah, so it's interesting because I feel like we all as individuals have different traumas, have different backstories, but when we went through COVID, it wasn't something that just affected one person.

It's something that we all had to go through.

So, COVID, made it so that we all were forced to live through this trauma together.

And by being forced to live through this trauma together, we have created a way in which we could relate to each other, a way in which we can understand each other, because we all have different backgrounds, we all have different stories, but we all right now have to experience COVID.

And so by that happening as terrible as it is, it gave us a way in which we can relate to each other, and we can be more than just friends.

We can be mutuals and understand each other in a deeper level, because we are now living and we have that shared experience of COVID and that trauma that comes with it.

- This is, yeah (Joy chuckles).

Thank you so much for that.

I, you know, it just, it makes me think about seeing Generation Z, right?

And I'm a part of it still, right?

(all laughing) Seeing Generation Z, literally we're fighting for our lives, you know, every single day.

And so to see all of this compounded trauma, that we're all sharing, as you mentioned with COVID-19, but there's something unique about Gen Z that we see bubbling and happening.

What are some of the unique superpowers that you feel like this generation has in order to really make some change?

I'll start with you.

- Okay.

Oh, that's such an exciting question.

(all chuckle) I have so many thoughts.

I think, we are refusing to not be heard.

We are powerful, we're creative, we're innovative, we're proficient with so many different forms of communication and modes of research, and figuring out the facts.

And I think that we have so many powers to really build strong movements.

And I think that's what we're seeing.

- Yeah, thank you for that.

How about you?

- I think that Gen Z has like a profound sense of empathy.

And one of our greatest superpowers is just understanding each other.

And maybe we can't relate to everything that we've experienced, but we don't need to relate to everything that we've experienced.

Because if we know someone has issues, then we have made it our responsibility to help fix them.

Because regardless of anything, we can't grow unless we allow each other to grow, and we can't continue to be beautiful in this world if we don't first recognize the weeds that we have in this garden.

So we work together to get rid of those weeds so that we can all grow to be beautiful together.

- Thank you for that, super poetic.

You know, I'm thinking a lot about adultism, right?

And the general public and how they tend to respond to young people.

What are some things that we really need to ask adults specifically to change?

How can they shift their mindset in order to be more responsive to Generation Z?

I'll start with you Ashley, if that's okay.

- Okay.

I think a question that we could ask the adults is, what exactly is it about us that makes you question our liability, our opinions, our perspectives?

Because I found that a big thing that is done when we are put in certain spaces is that, we are questions and we aren't...

There is a lack of belief.

So I think it's what exactly causes you to not have that belief in us?

Because you're raising us.

So is it something that you need to do to make us better or is it something within us that you truly believe is wrong?

- That's an amazing point, thank you.

What about you, Aly?

- I would just like to know, and to express that I think the older people do have skin in the game with everything that we're fighting for.

These issues that we're experiencing, white supremacy and economic injustice.

These issues, aren't new.

And we have folks who are in our older communities and in our families who really have skin in this game.

And really should join us in this fight.

And I would welcome that.

And I think, you know, there's a lot of trust to build, but I think, yeah.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So let's talk about these specific adults in legislation, (Joy chuckles) right?

What are some things that we can do better at the state level to address some of the issues that we've been discussing?

I'll kick it off with you.

- Yeah, and we work heavily at the State Capitol and passing bills on the student debt.

And because what we recognize is that while we demand, you know, using student debt as an example, we have a vision of broad cancellation of student debt.

We have a vision of free college.

We have a vision where a long-term change to this injustice in this system that's forcing young people into debt that is extremely detrimental to their lives and to our communities and to our state economy.

So, we can seek solutions now at the state level to create the solutions that we're not seeing at the federal level just yet.

So an example is private student debt.

Folks who have private student loans have basically been left out to dry, and haven't received the protections that folks who have federal loans have.

And so we passed a bill to extend some of those protections in the state of Colorado and really look out for our folks.

- Beautiful, thank you.

What about you?

- So I think that for me, there just needs to be some recognition in terms of youth in the fact that, our opinions have value and we deserve to be heard whether or not they agree with us, because we are gonna be taking their places eventually.

And so, although it may not sound good to hear- - Yeah.

- For them, but we understand what we're doing.

And if we put in so much work to understand the systems of our society, then we deserve to be heard for that.

- Absolutely.

- And we deserve to be recognized for all the effort that we put into to making the world a better place, to making our communities better.

And I think that what needs to be done is, there needs to be more youth representation within government.

And not only that, but we need to be taken seriously when we are represented in government.

- Absolutely.

Not just tokenized, not just, you know, seen and not heard.

- Yeah.

- Absolutely.

I appreciate that.

How do you feel.

Let's talk about, you know, just some of the personal skin in the game and how it impacts you when you are working towards some of these changes that you're making.

How does it make you feel?

And let's even talk about some of the mental health impacts as well.

So, I'd love to start with you Aly on this.

- This work is so personal and I think it's so emotional, it's so personal to the experiences that we have.

Like at our organization, folks on staff and folks who are volunteering with us, they have student debt, and that's why we're here.

We have anxiety about the future of our planet and our communities.

And so, that's why we're organizing on climate.

And that work can be very emotional and it definitely requires some practices around self care and also community care.

Because it can't just be up to us as individuals to get our minds in order and be able to show up and do this work.

We have to really rely on each other and have a connectedness with each other and understanding of each other's needs, so.

- Thank you.

What about you, Ashley?

- So overall, when I see progress made, especially when it comes to mental health, it just makes me happy.

It makes me recognize that not everything is always bad.

And I feel like that's a very big thing within society.

We don't really get to see a lot of the progress made.

We just hear a lot about the negatives and the things that are wrong right now.

And so when I see people addressing their mental health needs, when I see people dismantling white supremacy within themselves, it makes me feel content.

It makes me feel like we truly have a chance to grow and be the, ourselves, to be our full capable selves that we are in society.

Because as people of color, as minoritized individuals, we have so many things against us.

We're constantly cut down.

So when I see someone growing from that, it just makes me happy.

- Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, we're talking a little bit about self care, right?

Which I think is not a conversation that tends to happen when we're talking about activism, because you know, a lot of times it's like, you know, you're on it.

In the grind, you're in the fight and you have to make these things happen.

But, rest is a form of revolution.

Healing is a form of revolution.

And I just wanted to ask a quick personal question.

What are things that you do for self-care as activists?

- I would say that really, time to recharge is so important.

And I know that that can be really hard for us as organizers and as activists to really recognize that and take that space.

Because we wanna have our hands all over the project all the time, and we wanna be out there advocating, and we wanna be organizing people and developing other leaders.

And it can be hard to step back and recognize what you need.

And I think that that's something that I've definitely worked on, especially through 2020, and after 2020.

Really realizing that, sorta like the oxygen mask metaphor, you can't be an asset to your community and really be putting forth everything you can if you're not taking care of yourself.

- Absolutely, thank you.

But what about you, Ashley?

I know it's a hard question- - Yeah.

(all chuckling) - I get it.

- So, a lot of the work that we do with the NAACP is about healing.

And a big part of healing is rest.

And so a big thing that I do is just sleep as weird as it sounds like, talking about racial issues all the time, talking about systemic issues all the time, it's draining.

It puts a lot of stress on your mental health and on your physical self.

So a big thing that I like to do is just make sure I get sleep.

- Yeah.

- And not the best idea, but I try.

(all chuckling) - I try, right?

That's all we gotta do.

I appreciate that.

So, there are individuals that I'm sure that wanna get involved.

What are some things that you'd like to say to them?

How can people get involved in this work?

I'll start with you, Ashley.

- So I think just doing some research.

Looking at community organizations, you don't need to go to the UN.

A lot of the work that could be done is done in your community.

So I think making sure that you're reaching out to organizations that are local, organizations that need help, and organizations that are going to prioritize your voice.

- Beautiful, thank you.

What about you, Aly?

- Totally agree.

And I think something that's really important, especially for young people who are white, is to talk to our family, talk to our friends, talk within our communities, really do that deep personal and community level work of dismantling white supremacy.

And I think that is like step one in order to get into, you know, how do I wanna make change on these different issues?

You have to start with the most pressing issue, which is dismantling white supremacy.

- Absolutely.

I know those conversations can be really hard, right?

For anyone, but especially to face some of that internalized white supremacy that, you know, we have been taught over time, right?

What are some ways that people can find resources in order to understand how to make those internal and those external changes?

Any resources that you might be able to share for young people and for adults?

- Yeah, there's a world of resources out there.

And I think that it can be a little scary to try to do research and not really have anybody by your side journeying with you through that.

And I think really, where that comes in is through relationship building and just developing really connected relationships with the folks in your life.

And I think that's really what has brought me into this work in a meaningful way.

- Beautiful, anything you'd like to add?

- In terms of like what sources- - Any resources, yeah.

- That we have.

I think your peers, I think that's the biggest resource.

Understanding your peers, especially if they are people of color, and recognizing that we all have stories that deserve to be heard.

And acknowledging the fact that, sometimes there are things beyond ourselves that we can do.

So, just being an advocate for yourself and being an advocate for your peers, 'cause definitely those around you are the biggest resource you have.

- Absolutely.

Thank you so much for that.

It really is about relationship building.

It really is about that organic chemistry that we have with one another and thriving together.

So, I appreciate that.

Well, that's all the time that we have for tonight.

So, thank you so much for watching.

We're so excited to have a series like this one, allowing young people to speak their truth and to highlight all of the great work that's being done in our community.

You can find us here every Friday night, or you can watch online at pbs12.org.

If you have a question or a comment, you can reach out to us at grit@pbs12.org, or you can reach out to us at any of our social media channels with PBS12.

I'm Carey Joy.

And from all of us here tonight at PBS12, thank you for watching and good night.

(bright upbeat music)