Fourteen year-old Katie Gohres started writing even before she started grade school. Inspired by the books her mother May read to her, Katie started off penning poems, but eventually her thoughts grew into stories. As she morphed into her teen years, she felt compelled to express her opinions on news and other events.
Last Saturday night, at the Comedy Sportz Theater in Chicago, Katie shared her disbelief that two kids, 12 and 13, were recently hit with felony charges of possession of child pornography and child exploitation after they exchanged explicit pictures of themselves via cell phone. If convicted, they may face time in a juvenile detention facility and have to register as sex offenders. Katie does not believe the potentially lifelong consequences fit the crime. The teen years, she passionately charges, are full of stupid mistakes and blunders and children shouldn't have their lives ruined over one regrettable incident. She believes that the growing phenomena of teen "sexting" would be better addressed through education instead of severe punishments.
When veteran news journalist Nancy Loo and Chicagonista.com creator MJ Tam teamed to start a program for aspiring young writers in Chicago last year, they had girls like Katie in mind. They wanted to give a platform to strong voices that often go unheard, and to nurture the developing voices of the up-and-coming generation. Their program, Young Chicagonista, gives girls like Katie the opportunity to hone their ideas and talents online and, on occasion, face-to-face with the public.
At the launch event on Saturday, the public consisted mainly of parents and family members but the topics chosen rivaled any Toastmasters event -- if Toastmasters had a tween-to-teen division.
Eight year-old Kaiann spoke about the benefits of having a family that blogs, including being able to sing at Disneyworld. (Her mother is Miss Lori, formerly a host of PBS KIDS, who now performs at events across the country and hosts the online site Miss Lori's Campus Kids). Seventh-grader Aubrey brought the crowd to laughter with her take on children's menus -- stop with the chicken fingers and macaroni already, she says. Kids like real food, too; just in smaller portions. Twelve year-old Kasey thinks smart Chicagoans should support both the White Sox and the Cubs. Thirteen year-old Victoria thinks there's way too much PDA going on in and out of school. Davia, 10, thinks kids are paying too much attention to fashion trends and losing self-respect in the process. Suzzy, 15, thinks the money that Chicago spends on ineffective street cameras would be better spent on programs like CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy).
Sixteen year-old Megan Thuy is passionate about many things, including the music she and her friends hear on the radio everyday. Sometimes the melodies are so catchy, she doesn't pay attention to the lyrics right away. When she does, she's often shocked to find out how overtly sexual or degrading the words are, and she wonders how the songs made it onto public radio stations. The answer, she thinks, comes from a lack of real awareness. Kids request music because it sounds good -- they don't critique it, or pay much attention to the words. If they do, they don't consider them in light of their own standards and beliefs. Teenagers, she thinks, should exercise their power to effect change. If they did, and were more conscious of their choices, radio stations might reconsider their playlist.
Nancy Loo and MJ Tam both beamed as they listened to the girls from the corner of the stage. The girls all expressed themselves eloquently and with confidence. From their table they cheered each other on, supporting each other with smiles and effusive clapping. The event was a success, but more than that, the public event proved to be an extension of the safe, inspiring harbor for young voices that Loo and Tam created with the Young Chicagonista website.
"I'm excited," said Tam, "that they were as candid and as truthful as we want them to be. As a young girl, what I wrote in my diary was meant for myself only. I could never have done what these girls have but would have jumped at the opportunity if this kind of platform was open for young girls then. How I wish! The contents and comments are all moderated. We make sure that the girls have a safe place to discuss and open conversation on anything and everything that matters to them."
Loo and Tam face the challenge of finding funds and sponsors to keep their program growing and thriving, but on Saturday night their focus was on supporting the girls and allowing themselves to feel some much-deserved pride. "The greatest joy," Tam says, "is when people read our site and light up realizing that, wow, these are very powerful voices!"
If you'd like more information on Young Chicagonistas, click here.
Jane Devin is presently on a year-long writing road trip across the United States, sponsored in part by General Motors and Verizon Wireless. If you have a worthwhile event or cause you think she might be interested in, feel free to contact her.