View the MyCom Youth Voice Awards Photos; Don't Miss our MyCom Youth Story on Radiance Williams; Read About One to Watch: Donté Gibbs; US Representative Marcia L. Fudge is seeking applications from high school Juniors and Seniors for the opportunity to participate on a Youth Advisory Council; and MyMedia Introduces N.E.W.S.

December 10, 2015

An opportunity for all high school Juniors & Seniors!

U.S. Representative Marcia L. Fudge

U.S. Representative Marcia L. Fudge wants to hear from you! Apply now to join Congresswoman Fudge's Youth Advisory Council.

Applications are due December 14, 2015

Click here for the YAC Application

More information available at www.fudge.house.gov

Over 200 Attendees Honored Local Youth and the Adult Who Support Them at the 2015 MyCom Youth Voice Awards

Back row: Willoh Slade of Shaker Heights High School, Ronquel Hepner of Cleveland Central Catholic, Sarah Reneker of Valley Forge High School, and Jonathan Williams of Lincoln West High School.

Front row: Kyra Wells (home school student) of Shaker Heights, Christian Eberhart of Woodbury Elementary in Shaker Heights, and Naudia Loftis of St. Martin de Porres High School.

Seven outstanding youth recognized with a MyCom Youth Voice Award. Cuyahoga County Public Library's Parma Branch, Kurt Karakul of Third Federal Foundation, and Leo Serrano of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District among the honorees also celebrated.

Cleveland, OH - More than 200 attendees joined the MyCom network at Lago on the East Bank of the Flats to honor the 2015 Youth Voice Award winners on Thursday, November 19, 2015. Over a dozen youth and caring adults were honored, including Naudia Loftis, a 17 year-old high school student at St. Martin De Porres High School who advocates for an end to neighborhood violence, and Kareemah Rose, a caring adult from the Girls Scouts of Northeast Ohio, who works with young girls in the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority community. Other winners included business leader Kurt Karakul from the Third Federal Foundation; civic leader Leo Serrano from Cleveland Metropolitan School District; and the Cuyahoga County Public Library Parma Branch. The MyCom Youth Voice Awards event logo was designed by.18 year-old, Jonathan Williams, the first time the logo was designed by a youth. Jonathan attends Graphic Design classes at NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts & Technology.

Click to view the MyCom YVA Video produced by the MyCom MyMedia Students!

Click here to view the event photos!

Read more here.

Caring Adult Winners: Dorothy Dickens of Cleveland, Kareemah Rose of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio, and Chinetha Hall of West Park/Puritas Neighborhood. Business Winner: Kurt Karakul of The Third Federal Foundation. MyCom Steering Committee Chair: Lisa Bottoms of The Cleveland Foundation. Civic Leader Winner Leo Serrano of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. MyCom Project Director: Michael Matthews, Associate Director of Neighborhood Leadership Institute. (Not pictured Noah Sutter, Caring Adult Winner from University Settlement.)

Did you attend the 2015 Youth Voice Awards?

We'd love to hear your feedback!

Click here to complete our survey!

Get Your Copy of Future Leaders of the World (FLOW)

Out of the Mouths of Babes Volume 2

They make a great Christmas gift!

After completing the 2013 Soapbox Competition, it was obvious that other people needed to hear the voice of our youth.

What is Soapbox? Soapbox is an intensive, six-week program aimed at elevating youth voice. Participants learn writing and speech techniques such as: rhetorical devices, constructive criticism, speech analysis, grammar and more. They then apply these lessons in crafting a speech on a topic they are passionate about. The program just completed its third year and has drawn participants from throughout Greater Cleveland, including Slavic Village, the near West Side, and the City of East Cleveland.

Both Donté Gibbs, Director of Youth Engagement at NLI, and youth activist and mentor Juan Goodwin of Hands Across Cleveland, facilitated the sessions. The Cleveland State University Black Studies Department partnered with us to host the program, giving youth valuable exposure to University.

Click here to purchase your book today!

Radiance Williams in her high graduation cap

MyCom Highlights FLOW Participant

Radiance Williams!

"MyCom is a bridge that not only brings the community together, but also connects youth with a voice," states 18 year old Radiance Williams who graduated in the top 5 of her class at Northeast Ohio College Preparatory School in June 2015. Radiance is currently enrolled in Business Administration at Notre Dame College on a full academic scholarship.

Radiance was introduced to the MyCom network through the Future Leaders of the World (FLOW) program facilitated by Neighborhood Leadership Institute. FLOW encourages youth to learn about civil society outside of the classroom, through active, hands-on engagement in the democratic process. FLOW participants receive valuable training in effective leadership, while their neighborhoods and the Greater Cleveland community benefit from the addition of a youth perspective.

When asked what MyCom is to her, Radiance responds, "The program has benefited me by positioning me to build connections and network with all types of people. In addition, I have grown and learned more through the FLOW program such as: strengthening my leadership skills and becoming a published author, co-authoring "Out of the Mouths of Babes Volume II."

Donte Gibbs: MyCom Youth Engagement Program Officer

MyCom Congratulates Donté Gibbs, Named"One to Watch"by Inside Business Magazine!

MyCom congratulates DontéGibbs, MyCom's Program Officer for Youth Engagement,on his recognition by Inside Business Magazine as "One-to-Watch" for November 2015.

Mr. Gibbs grew up in East Cleveland, where the absence of a strong male role model taught him determination and independence - as well as how to cook and care for his younger sister. "I experienced the challenges of a single-mother household," Gibbs says. "I grew up fast." He graduated as valedictorian of Shaw High School in 2006 and attended CWRU on an academic scholarship. As the commencement speaker for the Mandel School class of 2012, Gibbs told the crowd he was graduating not just for himself, but also for his family and his city. "I rode past Case as a child but never expected that I'd ever be a graduate," Gibbs says. "I want kids in the inner city to know Case is a possibility."