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Dear Judge,
We encourage you to seek personal support if you become troubled by the content of this category. If you experience an emotional crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (available 24/7) or the California Warm Line at (833) 845-7415 .
The entries you are judging are submissions in the Hope and Justice category. Entries in this category deal with a variety of topics including mental health, suicide prevention, social justice and other complex topics that need to be addressed with compassion and knowledge.
For this category we asked youth to communicate about what they are feeling, increase knowledge about an issue or take a stand against injustice, or share their perspective in a way that gives others a glimpse into their lives. While some youth submit entries share ideas for solutions to the issues of concern, others used this as an opportunity to process their feelings in a therapeutic way.
We welcome all types of submissions. In our submission criteria, we remind youth that whatever message they choose, their submissions need to be thoughtful and respectful. We asked youth to be honest about their feelings, but to be sure their entries convey that they are coming from a place of cultural humility and have the intent to further understanding and constructive dialogue about social justice and change. So, as a judge please score each of these entries based on how well they conveyed their messages and followed these guidelines.
At any point if you are experiencing technical difficulties with the website, or have questions regarding the category, please email shanti@youthcreatingchange.org or call (619) 786-5622.
In advance, we appreciate your time.
I wrote this piece to be honest about where I come from and where I am headed. It is called “Who I Was, Who I Am, Who I Will Be,” and it is broken into three parts. In the first part I talk about growing up watching my father rob people and thinking that made him someone I should look up to, even though that same path led him to jail and left me without him. In the second part I talk about where I am right now, doing my best to change while I am in juvenile hall, taking things one day at a time. In the last part I wrote letters to my future self, because I wanted to picture the life I am working toward, one where I have my family, my kids, and I never repeat what my father did to me. This entry is my own story in my own words, and I hope it shows real growth and honesty about the choices I have made and the person I am trying to become.
