Our Impact on Youth
The Results of our Liberation Leader Youth Surveys
Because youth leadership is one of our core values, we regularly assess the impact we are having on our youth facilitators, both short and long-term. Youth leaders are central to our mission and it is essential that we collect their feedback, evaluate our effectiveness, and make decisions based on the data we find. Our work isn’t just about shifting the mindsets of adults, it’s also about helping youth develop into the anti-racist leaders of future institutions.
Recently, we surveyed several of our youth who completed their fellowship between 2018 and 2021 and we are excited to share the findings with you. Our findings indicate we have a significant impact on the way our youth perceive their power, how empathetic they are, how they experience relationships, their thinking, their confidence, and their career ambitions. Here are a few interesting highlights from our report:
Perhaps the most critical findings we have are our impacts on their lives today after the program concluded. Our respondents reported:
- Greater Voice: Liberation Leaders believe that their voice matters, feel empowered to speak up about inequalities, and advocate for systemic change in their communities.
- Increased Knowledge: They feel more aware and knowledgeable about social justice issues and can speak with authority on relevant topics.
- Increased Confidence: They are much more confident speakers and leaders.
“It’s impacted my confidence, public speaking, and overall knowledge. I am far more confident when it comes to standing up for my beliefs, and since I knew how to facilitate, I can now share my beliefs in a good way. And lastly, having knowledge about prejudice, racism, equality, intersectionality, and more has helped me be more prepared for what day-to-day life may bring me. And how I can defend myself and stand strong.”
If you’re interested in a more in-depth look at what the DT programming provides to youth, the full report can be accessed here. Inside, you’ll be able to explore all the ways our programming impacts participating youth in greater detail, including direct testimonials from participants.
