About Student Voices 

On March 30, 2023, more than 100 young people and dozens of local leaders and decision makers, including elected officials, law enforcement, public health professionals, and community service providers, came together for Student Voices, an empowerment project of Impact Sac. Student Voices is designed to engage Sacramento-area students with lived experience as “teen experts” and connect them to people of influence who collectively have the resources to enact, in partnership with youth, positive solutions to teen health, safety, and wellness issues. This report provides a qualitative summary of the insights, inspirations, and priorities lifted up by young people themselves through small group discussions about what it takes to create healthier and safer environments. Discussions were facilitated by researchers from the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program with the goal of building youth power to identify and direct the activities and services necessary for young people, families, and communities to thrive. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Youth are assets, not deficits, to their peers, schools, and communities.
2. Addressing mental health is critical for protecting young people’s well-being, disrupting cycles of violence, and healing communities.
3. Kinship with trusted adults who consistently show they care about youth, listen to them, and push them to succeed is transformative.
4. Improving the built environment can facilitate social connectedness, reduce violence, and increase feelings of safety.
5. Enhancing the economic conditions of youth and neighborhoods promotes safety and well-being.
6. Building community safety requires shifting individual and societal norms about violence as a necessary response to conflicts and crises.
7. Youth want social media to promote support and safety, rather than harm and negativity.
8. Harnessing the power of youth mobilization and collective voice is vital for ensuring the safety and well-being of current and future generations.