My name is Carline Boston. I am currently 20 years old and a junior in college. I started with Youth Power Coalition (YPC) in my sophomore year of high school when I was 15.
What truly sets YPC apart is the autonomy it gives youth leaders. It gave me the platform and tools to grow in whatever way I needed. I was able to explore my interests—like consulting—and work with organizations to gain real-world experience. I was able to take part in different things and expand my horizons and see where I would be best.
Outside of YPC, we live in a world that operates as a hierarchy. Adult voices are given more preference and consideration as opposed to youth voices, and a lot of youth organizations could do better in making sure that they are truly amplifying youth voices. What makes YPC so revolutionary is that it’s entirely co-led and it’s been like that from the beginning. That has been extremely powerful, to really understand the power of my voice and the power of communication and collaboration in all spaces.
YPC also developed me into a more compassionate, empathetic leader. YPC has taught me skills I still use today—facilitating meetings, leading with structure, and taking into consideration everyone, even people that might not be in the room. These are things that you would hope would be a universal thing, but it’s not. It makes such a difference, and it’s a skill that I plan to bring about to others as well.
Another huge takeaway has been the connections I’ve made. I’ve built relationships with so many amazing youth organizations. I know I have a lifelong community that I’ll always be able to lean back on.
YPC permanently transformed me forever. No matter how old I am, I’ll always remember my experience at YPC. It was the turning point that I needed to step into who I am now. We must continue creating a coalition of youth organizations and tapping into a new set of youth that have that fire and passion to really make a difference.
