We asked the first YouthCharge cohort “In what ways did YouthCharge make an impact on your life?” Here’s what they had to say: 

• “It [helped] me to know that it only takes one call, one email, one conversation to create change.”
• “It made me more aware of the issues going on in our community. I also met a lot of amazing people and learned many skills such as building my confidence and improving my communication skills.”
• “YouthCharge has made me a happier, more confident, more outgoing, and more vocal person.”
• “YouthCharge has really helped me learn to trust myself and believe in my strengths. I don’t think I would have as much confidence and leadership as I do now without all the experiences I had through this program.”
• “I enjoyed meeting so many new people and now I have new friends to support me and make me smile.”
• “YouthCharge helped me realize the potential that youth have and this gave me the inspiration to impact and inspire others to do things like this. I will always remember this.”
• “I feel so much more confident being a leader and stepping into a position to take action.”
• “It taught me essential skills I did not know I needed until I was learning them. I would think to myself “why did I not know this before?” And “how can I share this with others that would also react the same?” So, not only did it impact me by developing [awareness] about needs in my community, it also impacted the people around me as I was able to inform them on what I learned and pass it on.”
• “Thank you so much. Though this was online I know that YouthRoots has changed my life for the better.”