Although other initiatives in this objective area may include young people as part of their engagement efforts, young people are not explicitly centered. We have seen time and time again that when engagement efforts are designed without young people as partners, and without consideration of barriers specifically impacting young people, young people do not engage. When programs and spaces are created with young people as partners and leaders, we expect to see a Durham that reflects what young people actually want and need. We expect to see policies and programs that are responsive, relevant, and have impact.  

There are several key initiatives that help us reach our goals for this initiative. Our Changed By Youth (CBY) ambassador program involves 15 paid youth consultants who are trained, nurtured, and supported to be in spaces where decisions are being made about programs, new positions, and policies throughout local government and beyond. They support various youth engagement initiatives and also plan a series of community offerings for other young people in Durham – we call this their “love letter” to other young people in Durham. We seated our third CBY cohort in October 2023 and spent many months meeting for relationship building, training, and planning their community offerings. Several ambassadors worked with the Reimagine Durham Freeway Study engagement team to ensure young people’s voices were reflected in the study’s findings. They led and participated in tailored strategies via events and online outreach throughout May and June 2024. Over 600 young people’s perspectives were captured during the study’s engagement period!

For each year’s “love letter”, ambassadors follow an intentional process of reflecting on their own experiences and those of their peers so they can create an offering that is responsive. This year, they planned a series of events focused on supporting mental health for over 100 young people, imagined in three different ways: a movie night in Durham Central Park; “Wrath 2 Wellness”, which featured a rage room and facilitated conversations about mental health; and “B3” which featured yoga, brunch with conversations about mental health, and a painting session.

In fall 2023, we awarded a total of $300,000 to 18 grantees under the Durham Youth Leadership Fund (DYLF). Grantees have been working to grow youth leadership in Durham and are focused on: creating connection through art and culture; creating welcoming "third spaces" - spaces outside of home and school; and supporting mental health. Our partners have brought a total of 70+ new paid youth leadership positions to Durham and are doing truly transformative work! Read more about their projects here (English and Spanish). We’ve hosted several gatherings with grantees for relationship building and connection, and skill building and training. In addition to supporting our grantees with consultation and training, we also continue to provide consultation to other adult youth service providers regarding building youth leadership within their programs. Thus far since July 2023, we have made 50 consultations.