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Youth are demanding change. We have your partnership playbook.
Young people are advocating and organizing for a better future. From climate change to social justice, education and curriculum to mental health and beyond, youth leaders are leveraging their voices and experiences to create change. Educational leaders and other compassionate adults are seeing this play out in our local schools and communities but don’t always experience a cohesive partnership.
In this third installment of World Savvy’s Changemakers Series, we are thrilled to bring together a panel of youth and adult changemakers who will discuss real solutions to elevate student voices and collaborate in meaningful and productive ways.
On Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, at 4 p.m. CT (2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. ET), we will host a dynamic discussion, Supporting Youth-Led Systems Change featuring a panel of youth and adult changemakers. This free event brings Cole Stevens and Talia Moreno from Bridgemakers: Youth Leading Change to the table for a live virtual discussion with Marcus Pope, President of Youthprise and World Savvy’s Dana Mortenson.
Meet Cole Stevens, co-founder and Vice President of Bridgemakers and one of our featured panelists.
Cole Stevens, born and raised in poverty to a black mother and white father in south Minneapolis, has had a childhood marked by financial hardship, addiction, curiosity and perseverance. Watching his parents trade in their dreams of becoming successful artists to work tirelessly to provide for him has shaped Cole into a relentless artist, activist and social-entrepreneur. He’s focused on enriching the lives and communities of those most underserved and underprivileged, and providing opportunities for fulfillment and prosperity to his peers through his work. A lifelong affinity for social grey areas has enabled Cole to bridge gaps across generational, political, racial and class divisions to bring people together for the common goal of making sure the innovative brilliance of young people is heard, respected and meaningfully engaged in our democracy, society and economy.
A truly youth-led movement, Bridgemakers is a holistic civic, social and financial capacity-building platform that amplifies the stories and mentors the leadership of black, brown and otherwise marginalized youth. By building bridges between young artists, activists and entrepreneurs with experienced leaders, they have engaged intergenerational collaboration in breaking cycles of miseducation, poverty, violence and addiction.
Cole will be joined by Bridgemakers’ Production Director, Talia Moreno. Co-Founder and President Walter Cortina (who will make a cameo appearance at the event) and the entire Bridgemakers’ team of Youth Ambassadors are dedicated to ensuring youth voices are included, respected and engaged in all systems and policies that affect young people. In addition, this live discussion will welcome Marcus Pope of Youthprise while World Savvy’s own Co-Founder and CEO, Dana Mortenson, will moderate the conversation. Both Marcus and Dana bring years of passion and experience to the table as changemakers, mentors and advocates in their own spheres. We will learn from both the successes and missteps that they have experienced along the way. In fact, the partnership between Bridgemakers and Youthprise significantly impacted Minnesota youth when they forged a successful partnership to change state law, opening up 70 million dollars worth of life-saving Covid relief to students who were laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This event will highlight strategies for forging successful partnerships between youth and adults. Participants can expect to come away with a fresh perspective and practical knowledge they can apply in their own homes, workplaces, schools and communities. Plus, when you register now, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win an 11×17 poster featuring original artwork by youth changemaker Talia Moreno, created specifically for this event.
About World Savvy and the Changemakers Series
At World Savvy, we envision a future where all people, young and old, are empathetic, civic-minded, engaged global citizens. Where they can collaborate across cultures, communicate across differences and solve complex problems. We believe this vision starts with education – preparing a generation of empathetic and engaged young leaders to address complex, real-world challenges.
This year, in an engaging series of online conversations, we’ll continue highlighting changemakers across sectors who share the World Savvy vision. They will inspire us to know more, care more, do more for an increasingly sustainable, equitable and peaceful world. We’ll learn from journalists, activists, civic and nonprofit leaders, young changemakers and more in this virtual event series.
Sign up here to receive information about future events from World Savvy and the Changemakers series.