“Whenever I work with a young person, I want them to be better than I am. To achieve more than I achieved.” — Wokie Weah
Bianca Dawkins, a Youthprise Change Fellow, interviews Wokie Weah, President of Youthprise, giving us a better understanding of how our communities and organizations can not only engage youth, but empower youth to improve our systems of change theory. This interview was made possible by OTA’s Spotlight Films—a project in partnership with Passenger productions to create films spotlighting stories of creativity, innovation, and boldness in the region.
“When you lose everything, you become more mindful about the privilege to bring about change.”
“When you work with a young person your end product is better.”
“Failure is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s how you respond.”
“When people come to Youthprise, I want them to feel hope for the youth of Minnesota.”
More about Youthprise and OTA:
The mission of Youthprise is to champion learning beyond the classroom so that all Minnesota youth thrive. Youthprise was founded by the McKnight Foundation in 2010 to increase the quality, accessibility, sustainability and innovation of opportunities for learning beyond the classroom.
Since 2009, OTA has served as a collaborative network for the region’s creative class, offering extraordinary experiences and engagements that educate, empower, and serve as a catalyst for community-builders and change agents to improve the lives of all people living in MinnesOTA, North DakOTA, and South DakOTA.