By Maya B. and Grace T., SJPJC Volunteers
As activism among teens in San Jose and the Bay Area has seen growth recently, the San Jose Peace and Justice Center invites youth who are interested in local and global activism to participate as a team of volunteers to organize and lead events oriented towards youth in San Jose. The aim is to create a group of young activists who can partake in all sorts of leadership positions from planning and organizing events to leading workshops.
We welcome all teens who are willing to actively participate in the group and bring their own skills and ideas to share with us. We do, however, only encourage youth from ages 14-18 (in high school) to apply.
If you are unsure if you want to commit to the group or not, don’t worry! Our first meeting will be solely for the purpose of explaining what we will do as a team and to simply get to know each other better. After that, it’s completely up to you if you want to remain in the group or not.
The experience one can gain from using their skills and ideas into issues they are passionate about is one that is extremely valuable in today’s world. So many young people, including myself, tend to feel helpless when it comes to trying to individually fight against social issues in our communities that require collective efforts to create solutions for. Being a member of a team that works to combat these issues can be a great way to get involved with community social justice efforts.
Due to the pandemic, all meetings and events will be held online via Zoom. Meetings will be conducted twice a month and it is a loose commitment to attend for at least one hour every time. In order to briefly get to know potential members beforehand, we ask that you fill out the short interest form HERE.