CPS student's essay on youth violence chosen for national summit in Washington D.C.
A Chicago student's essay on youth violence landed her a trip to the nation's capital.
Jade Lee, a student going into the 8th grade at CICS Prairie in Roseland, recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where she participated in the national summit. The annual event brings young people from across the country together with the goal of addressing the root causes of violence and finding solutions. Participants are selected through an essay contest. Jade ended up representing Chicago after her essay was chosen from more than 800 submitted by CPS students.
"It (the summit) was really inspiring to me because I also got to hear the other youth voices and how they have experienced it (violence), and we also got to talk about how we can fix it as a community," said Lee.
Jade's essay is written from the perspective of a fictional character named Samara, navigating the violence in her neighborhood. It explores the root causes of violence and the unique circumstances that leave young people feeling like violence is their only option.
"I personally feel like I have a different, unique imagination, so when I was writing the story, I was thinking based off how I have experienced violence in my community of Roseland, and how my peers have experienced it, and how my mom has also experienced it when she was younger," said Lee.
During their visit to Washington, D.C., Jade and her mother, Brittany Powell, met with students from other cities, along with elected officials, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.
"One of the things that I took away from the whole summit was all of the youth said the same thing, like listen to us," said Powell, "We have something to say, our life is different from yours and, we want you to listen."
Jade says she was inspired by the summit and wants to be part of the solution. She hopes to organize entrepreneurship and mentorship programs for kids like her to offer a space for community and connection.
To read Jade's full essay, click .
