What Our Youth are Excited about in the New Year.
Juma’s JLC meeting in San Francisco in January.
The Juma Leadership Council, a group of Bay Area youth, who meet regularly to build and maintain the community among fellow Juma youth, met for the first time in 2018 one recent afternoon in January.
Kevin Guzman, the San Francisco Youth Development Coordinator who advises the group, went around the room and checked “homework.” It wasn’t THAT kind of homework. Hardly the kind of thing you’d want to accidentally feed to the dog.
Kevin explained that JLC members were asked to come with an item or a concept that motivated them. And the youth went around the room:
Joe, the current JLC president, simply offered the word “deadlines.”
For Jessica, JLC senior student rep, it was music. She listens to rock band Three Days Grace and rapper Lil Peep, whose music she finds resonates in increasingly meaningful ways since his death last fall. But her favorite artist by far is the R&B, hip-hop, folk singer and songwriter, Raury.
Sam, JLC junior student rep, said she was motivated by the “fear of failure,” adding, “I don’t want to be living on the streets at 30.”
Josh, JLC secretary said he’d snapped a photo of his dad’s car keys. “I just want to go to college, get a career and get a car,” he said.
Kevin offered his own lucky charm: a set of tags that belonged to his late dog, which, he said, “shows just how temporary a lot of things are and reminds you to enjoy the moment.”
As the group worked on a craft exercise that involved wall clocks with blank faces, markers and watercolors, they shared what they were most looking forward to for themselves and for Juma youth in the new year.
Sam said she was looking forward to taking the SAT, mostly to “get it over with.” And, having only joined Juma in March of last year, she wanted to get to know everyone better.
Jessica said she’s looking forward to learning and exploring more through books. She intends to read one a month. Her first book pick: Bad Samaritans: First World Ethics & Third World Debt, which she spotted while walking through the main San Francisco Public Library. She said, “I’m interested in the less fortunate and I want to explore what’s really happening and not just have opinions without anything to back it up.”
Joe, who said that while he doesn’t believe in having New Year resolutions, did admit that he’s looking forward to continuing his practice of logging his spending. “See where all my money is going,” he said. He’s tracking even the smallest expenditures, like making photocopies at the library, which, he said, cost ten cents a page.
Josh said he’s looking forward to getting his driver’s license. Or, rather, a driver’s permit. And, he hopes, get the keys to a car at the end of the year.
Within the group, he’s hoping to refine his leadership skills, working with fellow youth as he did last year when he co-led the student Halloween and Christmas parties.
Gavin said he was “looking forward to being stressed.” He explained further: “I like to do more than I need to, taking outside classes, staying busy.”
Within JLC, Gavin hoped to encourage more teamwork and cooperation.
As for Kevin, the group advisor, he envisioned a balance of ensuring that youth gained leadership skills, along with personal agency and advocacy. He also wants to make sure “everyone enjoys themselves.”
