The students in Parkland, Florida have proven there is power in student activism! In 2018 following student walkouts, media movement of #NeverAgain, March for our Lives Protests, and all sorts of information sharing, 26 states passed gun safety laws. The voices of these youth got people to listen and seriously consider the issues of gun control they were presenting. The students successfully identified important issues, researched gun laws, planned actions to try and protect the lives of students, carried out their actions, and reflected on what they achieved. Based on the Jane McAlevey video, “Building the Power to Win,” Parkland students did more mobilizing than organizing, which is why they saw success in their movement. One can also tell that they used proper semantics when communicating with legislators because they were not accusatory, but rather spoke from their personal experience. McAvlevey’s work helped me look at my research through a different lens. It allowed me to see more of the management side activism and how students work can be successful.

In history, student movements have played a crucial role in political transformations and major social changes. The Greensboro sit-in, University uprisings in 1968, Tiananmen Square and the current Black Lives Matter movement are just a few examples. In education reform, the students are at the heart of the system, so they see first hand the problems that plague their schools. How can their voices be left out? The answer is they simply can’t be left out, however it is fair to questions how much they can do without adult power. For this research project I drew a lot of my ideas from “Guided Participation in Three Youth Activism Organizations: Facilitation, Apprenticeship, and Joint Work.” Ben Kirshner looked at how multiracial youth activism groups based in working class and poor neighborhoods seek to improve social conditions. Grassroots campaigns required planning, organizing, networking, and advocacy skills. Kirshner explains how he views student activists as developmentally sophisticated, but how some students are left out of this work because of accessibility and personal interpretations. “Youth of color, in particular, are often positioned by policymakers as vulnerable or dangerous, rather than resilient and resourceful.” Interactions with public officials and community members is different for every student and the limitations to their activism need to be accounted for. Yes, youth activism is very powerful, but when students are unable to do so, there should be other community members and adults who will help get their voices heard. Students need help to mobilize their ideas and adults need to be able to properly help get their voices heard. Youth have powerful ideas and adults can be the hands behind the scenes helping to get their ideas out in the world.

Youth need to be empowered and feel like their opinion matters and through other author’s work I was able to see how students can get their voices heard.