John Alex is in a program that uses restorative justice and says through it, he was able to take responsibility for his actions.
Author: The kNOw Youth Media
The kNOw works to support and equip young people with the journalism and advocacy skills they need to tell their stories and the stories of their communities.
In 2006, over 25 youth began participating in weekly after-school writing workshops where they congregated in the hallway of a two-story building in West Fresno and learned the essentials of creating media and telling their stories. The group evolved over the next five years and is now proudly recognized as The kNOw Youth Media.
Through our program, we create opportunities for our youth participants, who in turn create long-term positive change in their communities. Our approach weaves youth development and youth media innovation to produce our biannual youth publication, multimedia projects, and community forums.
The kNOw began as a project of New America Media, which was the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. In 2018 The kNOw became a project of Youth Leadership Institute.
“The best advice I can give is only to say, don’t hold back,” says John Gonzalez as he takes his student’s hand. John, 35, is a para-educator (aka special-ed teacher) at Sunnyside High School in Fresno. He tells me that out of his 35 years of living he never would’ve thought he’d end up where he is today.
On Nov. 6, Lawrence Jones shot and killed two co-workers, and then himself, at a meat processing plant here in Fresno. The shooting at the plant, Apple Valley Farms, is just the latest in a rash of gun violence in our city, and it hits close to home.
First time voters in Fresno, Calif. take to the polls
I think it’s important to have a say in politics Just because you’re a citizen doesn’t mean you’re not a politician. Everyone is their city should be a politician because everyone should be involved in their government. They can’t complain about anything, if they didn’t vote.
What message would an Obama defeat send to young people of color? And what message would an Obama victory send? The common thread that emerged in responses from young people in California was clear: Race and identity in American politics still mean a great deal. And although enthusiasm for Obama’s performance as president varied by individual, nearly every young person said that a defeat would be a setback, both psychological and material, for young people of color.