Dear Sophia,

Thank you for writing this post and for planning a YouthCast session around this important topic.

I live on the Mexican border and so immigration-related issues are always on my mind. The American Dream and what it means to be “American” is something that concerns all of us though. These are important issues, and the way in which we…[Read more]

These are beautiful pictures and beautiful words. It makes me happy to hear that like your school and that you value community.

Thank you for sharing your story here.

I have been to South Africa and found it to be a very beautiful country. I am sure you miss it, but I hope you like where you are living now. Coming to a new country can be very difficult. (I moved to Tanzania to live for two years, ad it was very hard.)

It’s good that you are thinking about justice and…[Read more]

Thank you for sharing this. I agree that racism is a huge problem in our country. Do you have ideas about what we can do to help prevent and correct racism?

Keep writing!

This is a very powerful poem. Thanks for sharing it. I feel like I know you a little bit from having read it.

(PS I used to have a good friend named Humera. She became a doctor. Also I love biryaani!)

Thank you for sharing this.
The worldwide refugee situation is so difficult. But it is the power of love and friends that can make it better.
I really like when you say “War will not make us surrender to the goal we desire.”
I hope you are doing well here and that you keep sharing your writing.

karen

Abby, this is a great post. Thanks for sharing it, and for all your hard work during the election and ongoing. It is a hard time for many us right now, but only because we care about our country and all the people in it. Keep up the good work!

(PS Here is a picture of me at the Phoenix march:…[Read more]

Thanks for writing this, Rylan. I am particularly struck by your comment “I believe that there has to be a bigger deterrent when it comes to crime. While prison is not fun I do not think it truly rehabilitates criminals.”

I agree that our prisons are not rehabilitating people, and that this should be the goal. Prisons often seem to turn people…[Read more]

Thanks for looking into this important issue, Edgar. (I read this post http://www.youthvoices.live/2016/06/27/undocumented-students-matter/ and wondered if you’d seen it.)

The executive actions of DACA (and DAPA, currently on hold) are one way the government has tried to change this. We desperately need immigration reform to formalize and expand…[Read more]

San, this is such an important topic. I’m glad you are researching and writing about it.

Here are some resources I would recommend:

https://eji.org/mass-incarceration

Criminal Justice Fact Sheet

http://www.sentencingproject.org/issues/racial-disparity/

I look forward to reading more about what you learn.

Thank you for sharing this information. There is a lot of research that seems to show the positive benefits of meditation and mindfulness. (Mindfulness is another thing you might want to look into. It has a lot of similarities to meditation, but it is also just an everyday way of being present all the time.)

I try to practice this myself, and I…[Read more]

Thanks for sharing this book. I haven’t read it but I am going to look for it.

I live near the border in Arizona, and it is true that many people die trying to get to America. Over 6000 people have died since the year 2000. Many die from things that shouldn’t really kill you like heat exhaustion, dehydration, cold, or minor medical conditions.…[Read more]

Thanks for writing about this important issue. I fear that indifference will lead to an even lower voter turnout than usual. This could really affect the election results.

If people are feeling that they can’t support either of the Republican or Democratic candidate, I hope they will look at third party candidates. I don’t think this is “throwing…[Read more]

Dear Aleah,

I think this is a very important topic, and I am glad you are looking into it.

I believe that it is true that low income and students of color are less likely to finish school. Often this is because they have to work full time jobs while they are in school in order to afford it. Also some students can’t afford the expensive textbooks…[Read more]

Thanks for writing this, Lilian.

Immigration and deportation are important topics to me, especially as it relates to children.

When you talk about people leaving without their children, do you mean that they have left their children in their home countries, or are you talking about people who are deported from here without their children?

I do…[Read more]

Thanks for writing this. Your title intrigued me.

Isn’t it true that all of our families come from immigrants, unless perhaps we are Native Americans or other indigenous people?

I think that people say “we are all immigrants” because the vast majority of our families came from somewhere else, and yet it seems so easy to forget that. It is easy…[Read more]

Thanks for writing this, Alexandra. You are a good writer. I love your words “from nothing but pure love,” and I’m glad you can see loveliness in the world around you, even though there are also so many things that are negative and challenging. Keep writing!

Edwin, thank you for writing and for sharing. I am glad that you care and that you believe we can achieve anything. You are lucky to have a good family. Keep up your striving and believing and writing!

Thanks for sharing this post, Jackson. I am interested in the idea of colonizing other planets and what the pros and cons might be. I hadn’t thought of the idea that “kids raised on other planets wouldn’t be able to come to earth without excruciating pain.”

Do you think you would like to live on another planet? Or maybe on a space station?

I t…[Read more]