How can adults show up authentically and consistently for young people in our lives? Let this be an entry point for you.
In Support of Youth World Building pays homage to the legacy of young people resisting the status quo by radically reimagining and practicing building community — not as it is, but as it could be. Through discussions with youth organizers from across NYC, we heard, again and again, that adults often get in the way of youth leadership and agency.
This project aims to identify and provide an entry point for adults learning about what young people require of us — to understand our positionality, the effects of our biases against young people and how we can leverage resources in support of youth world building.
Our zine, available August 2024, is a back-pocket-sized booklet that defines key considerations in this work, including a timeline of youth world building examples, Do’s and Don’ts as outlined by youth engaged in this process, organizations that provide adult training on this work and others. Our recommended resources are available digitally through our LinkTree, where you can also add to this living list. Sign up to be the first to receive our zine when it launches in August!
How can adults show up authentically and consistently for young people in our lives? Let this document be an entry point or accountability guide for you. Use it to bring your colleagues or friends into rigorous reflection on your youth-adult partnership practice. What resources do you have access to — time, connections, skills, financial, etc. — that you can leverage for our young people? What are you willing to risk?
“I believe what separates co-conspirators from allies is the willingness to put yourself on the line. Whether it’s assets, reputation, time, connections or other resources – co-conspirators always have skin in the game.”
— Dr. Tiffany Jana
Meet the Project Team
Yousof Abdelreheem
Community Liaison, New York City Council District 22
Yousof grew up in Queens and believes deeply in communal love. He believes we are interconnected and that what we do impacts each other, a belief he leads within his board capacity at Teens Take Charge and as a Community Liaison at City Council District 22. He majors in Deviance, Crime, and Culture (DCC) and minors in Counseling at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, with plans to continue advocating for meaningful social change.
Génesis Abreu
Senior Manager, Youth Community Programs, Futures Ignite
Génesis is a nonbinary person with Mayan and Nahuat Indigenous roots and Salvadoran/Dominican ancestry. They have collaborated with BIPOC youth and communities towards environmental justice, land/food sovereignty, and health equity through community organizing, policy advocacy, and community-driven participatory science and research.
Aren Castro
Associate Director, Design and Neighborhood Equity, Center for Justice Innovation
With a multidisciplinary design, planning, and strategy background, Aren serves as the Associate Director of Design and Neighborhood Equity at the Center for Justice Innovation. Across all five boroughs, he leads and supports participatory design processes, community engagement strategies, capacity building, and the transformation of public space into equitable, safe and vibrant community spaces.
Emily Chingay
Citywide Engagement Advocate, Open Plans
Emily does city-wide engagement at Open Plans, advocating for livable streets and safe and joyful public spaces. After receiving her Bachelor’s from Binghamton University, she worked as a liaison to the Department of Sanitation’s Curbside Composting Program. As a fellow, she hopes to collaborate with experts to create youth-centric public spaces.
Nani Kauz Apolo
Senior Urban Planner, WXY Studio
Nani is a Senior Urban Planner at WXY Studio working at the intersection of urban planning and public education. At WXY, Nani led a yearlong evaluation of the Community School District 15 Diversity Plan in Brooklyn and the development of learning materials for adult and youth coastal stewardship in the Rockaways in partnership with local educators. Before NYC, Nani was based in Durham, NC, working with a range of institutions to build pathways for youth decision-making and leadership in city planning, education policy, and outdoor learning.
Jim Lammers
Project Manager, Street Lab
Jim is an urban planning practitioner and educator with a background in structural engineering. He works for Street Lab developing and managing their citywide New Public Spaces initiative in collaboration with community partners across NYC. A kid at heart, Jim is interested in designing for play and centering youth as design agents within the cityscape.