Youth all over the world are experiencing unprecedented changes to their daily lives due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, all voices are not being heard at the same frequency and levels. Young people, particularly those from low-income communities and communities of color, are heavily impacted by the pandemic, but are often not the narrators of their stories in mainstream media.
#ClubhouseVoices seeks to amplify creative youth expression and examples of leadership from Clubhouse members about the various ways they are navigating the COVID-19 crisis and the impact it has on their lives. We believe this is a time when self-expression, self-care, and community are critical tools for survival. To that end, we make this call for submissions to lift up all youth voices in our communities and to ensure that everyone is being heard. Submissions can include graphic design, poetry/spoken word, illustration, public service announcements, inventions, campaigns, video, photography, and more. Youth can amplify their voices by posting their project on social media and using #ClubhouseVoices or directly email it to The Clubhouse Network (cmonska@theclubhousenetwork.org).
In May 2020, The Clubhouse Network launched #ClubhouseVoices, a Youth Response to COVID-19 and Racism. We are proud to announce that we have collected over 40 entries and that list continues to grow. We heard youth voices loud and strong about how they were taking care of themselves and those around them and taking a stand against racism that continues to destruct our collective world. A Clubhouse Voices project, X-Ray, was highlighted on the television show, The View, which has millions of viewers. X-ray has over 17,000 views and many other projects get shared through social media to thousands of followers. It led to cross-cultural communication, peaceful protests, leadership development and technology skills. Many youth submitted their Clubhouse Voices projects to festivals.
If you want to adapt Clubhouse Voices to fit the needs of your community, set up a website to house the project gallery, create a catchy hashtag with youth, promote the gallery, create project tutorials, and continuously search for the hashtag on social media to find new submissions. For detailed instructions and examples, visit https://clubhousevoices.org or email cmonska@theclubhousenetwork.org.
