1. Many Young Voices has been a great experience for me. It has not only taught me a lot, but it has also opened my eyes. To begin with, Many Young Voices has taught me a great deal about dialogue and communication. I learned that there is a big difference between dialogue and debate. In debate, each side vies to win. In dialogue, there is no winner. All of the sides simply come together to discuss, not to argue. I also learned other strategies for better dialogue such as “I” language. Another important thing I learned is how to facilitate. During my facilitator training session I learned how to let everyone take turns speaking, how to open up, and how to respect each other. It was very useful training which I was later able to apply when I facilitated a real Many Young Voices session. Apart form teaching me valuable strategies for communication in dialogue, Many Young Voices has also helped open my eyes to several things. One thins is the opinion of my peers. Prior to becoming a Many Young Voices participant, I did not realize that there were so many other students who feel the way I do about a lot of topics. I did not know that there are so many students who care about the school and the community. It was really nice to see that. Also, I never before realized that some of the problems in the community are as big as they really are. I learned that problems such as racism are still very present in my school and everywhere else. I am very grateful for Many Young Voices because it has helped my in many ways. It has taught me about communication and it has also taught me a lot of things that I did not know before. This is why Many Young Voices has been a great experience for me.

2. Many Young Voices has influenced my plans for the future to make the community a better place to live. One way it has influenced my plans is by helping me to realize just how much the community really needs our help. Attending several Many Young Voices sessions has helped me to see that there are so many problems in the community that need attending. Some of these problems are racism big things like racism or smaller things such as how bad language can affect a student’s learning environment. Whether big or small, all problems should get addressed. Another way that Many Young Voices has helped influence my plans is by showing me just that a lot could get accomplished by simply sitting down and discussing how we could better our community. Many Young Voices has been a place where many students can voice their opinions knowing that they will be respected. I believe that the community could use more groups like this one. In the future, I will try to join more groups where I know that my opinion will be heard. It would also be a good idea to start small groups such as Many young Voices if not always available. Many Young Voices has influenced my plans by helping me realize that all problems need to be addressed and showing me that groups like this are very helpful in any community.

By: Berenice Rocha