Till Film Screening and Teen-led Community Conversation Panel

at the Jacob Burns Education Center on February 4th, in partnership with the White Plains Youth Bureau, Keepers of the Dream and Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Peace and non-violence.

Over 50 teens and community members gathered to attend a screening of Till, the story of the lynching of Emmett Till. This powerful film was followed by a teen-led discussion of the film’s themes and impacts, as well as the ways in which this violence continues today.

Youth Stand Up Against Racism

On March 24th, the WYA Teen Leaders teamed up with the Peekskill NAACP to facilitate a racism workshop. The workshop was one of five programs selected to be a part of the Westchester Social Forum, an annual event designed to promote progressive social change in Westchester. The teens took participants on an interactive journey that highlighted Westchester’s resource disparities and how access to resources is related to race and social class. Participants were also given the opportunity to reflect on the role that race plays in their own lives. The teens worked hard on this event, and the results paid off—the program was engaging and thought-provoking, and we received a lot of positive feedback. We’re excited to see what these young people do next!