How community, youth voices and women’s leadership are shaping opportunities for the next generation.
By: Diane Ortiz, CEO, Youth Alliance
As I enter my third decade as an activist, community leader, and woman of color, I have been repeating one mantra over and over again:
“TAKE UP SPACE”
It is the advice I would give to any young person joining Youth Alliance, especially young women like me. Because the single professional achievement that I am most proud of is the space that generations of young people now claim with us and in our community.
It’s young people, especially young women, who are using their voices to shape their communities and the future they want to see for themselves and their families.
I feel proud of the community Youth Alliance has built with young people and families. Our work is for, shaped by, and led by young people. Today, nearly 40 percent of our staff once participated in Youth Alliance programs.
Think about what that means: those same young people who once participated in our programs looking for connection and safety are now working beside us. They are guiding the next generation to build real change where they live and succeed without leaving their communities.
Our youth face a different world than a generation ago, and one that requires so much more fortitude, creativity, and leadership. The affordability crisis pushes families to the edge. Political division continues to grow, immigrant communities and women’s rights are under attack, and health inequities deepen.
Still, young people remain rooted in their courage, vision, and conviction.
Seeing young leaders step into positions of influence and advocacy is one of the greatest joys of my life. Each time a young person organizes peers or speaks out for change, they move our community closer to justice.
That same belief led to the creation of the Youth Impact Center in Gilroy.
For years, Youth Alliance searched for affordable program space. We often limited participation in our programs because we did not have enough room for students. Decades of disinvestment limited youth opportunities, and this was seen in the staggering youth incarceration rates and inequities, often some of the highest in Santa Clara County. And youth wanted change.
One young leader said it clearly during a conversation about their experiences during COVID:
“We need a place that’s ours. A bigger place where we feel safe to come together and support one another.”
Starting in 2022, we found the partners who saw how important it is that young people own the space to grow and thrive. The Latino Family Fund de Gilroy was one of the first. They connected Youth Alliance and Digital NEST to the Community Owned Shared Space Accelerator. Led by Community Vision, the initiative provided the guidance to create the spaces for BIPOC-led organizations need.
More and more partners stepped forward to create our new space, providing the funding to purchase a building in East Gilroy that we are now renovating. We are especially grateful for the role Health Trust has played in bringing the center into the intersection of health equity, opportunity, and justice.
The Youth Impact Center represents a step towards changing the systems that negatively impact our communities and will invest in the dreams of the next generation. Anchored by Youth Alliance and Digital NEST, the center will operate as a nonprofit multicultural hub created with and for young people, offering a welcoming place where residents can celebrate culture, connect with one another, and access opportunities. Youth will continue to have a key leadership role in the Center’s governance to keep our commitment of “nothing for us without us”.
As I reflect on my journey during Women’s History Month, I have learned many important leadership lessons. The first is to trust yourself and your ability to create personal and collective change. Your unique voice is a gift, so step into your leadership space.
Second, but no less important, is this: Community saves community, not institutions. Invest in youth and community-led solutions so that their vision of justice can shape our collective future.
The future we want will not emerge from individuals working alone. It grows through collective effort, healing and power.
In Gilroy, young people are building that future.