Raising your voice is to help shape your communities. Thank you so much. We are thrilled to be here. I will turn it over to step. Stef. [applause] i mentioned the amazing young people that are here today. My name is stephanie cruz, i am on the board of mikva challenge. It is exceptionally exciting to hear the stories we are going to hear. These young people represent 25,000 young people who have participated in the soap box challenge. We are very lucky to hear these amazing stories. I am going to turn over to get it kicked off. [applause] thank you both so much. Myself and my colleague will be emceeing today, and we are thrilled to hear these speeches of brave young people who will speak out on the issues that matter to them that they want to see change that are affecting young people around the country and the world. I wont be speaking so much because we want to center their voices and their wisdom and their perspective. So without further ado, im , going to call our first speaker, mohammed. Come on up. [applause] 35,000, that is the number of innocent souls put to rest in 2012 by gun violence. Did they deserve it . Absolutely not, and yet here we are talking about them in past tense red my name is mohammed and i come before you to talk about the tragic gun violence epidemic in the United States. Since the horrifying School Shooting in connecticut, Sandy Hook Elementary School, there has not been more than there have been more than 1,600 Mass Shootings. While the families of those killed in these incidents drowned in grief, the government watches with glassy eyes. Many attempts to protect and serve the interest of the public continue to be undermined. The unprecedented gun violence continues to be subverted as if it is not a real issue. Gun violence is a cruel, inhumane and catastrophic problem and and only in america dilemma. In 2018, a shooting at a bar in california marked to the 307th mass shooting and 2018. When that occurred, it was 312 days into the year, meaning that the u. S. Has nearly as many Mass Shootings as days. How disappointing that every day a possibility of a mass shooting happening is active and real . In 2015 alone, 2,824 children who were clueless of this dangerous and evil world, where they are not even safe in the place they spend most of their lives in, anticipating their birthday, their kindergarten graduation and awaiting to hug their parents once they get out of school died by gun shots. And an additional 13,723 were injured. If we are capable of building walls, blocking immigrants from coming in, then we are able to burn those walls that surround politicians who do nothing about gun violence as they are blindsided to those who have suffered. My call for action is to demand background checks, make sure guns are out of the hands of those with criminal records, demand more complex systems for buying guns, and finally, and i cant believe that i have to say this, but an 18yearold should never have access to an Assault Rifle. Are you kidding me . An 18yearold who has barely grasped responsibility and adulthood is all of the sudden granted the right to an Assault Rifle . What planet are we living in . I will tell you. The planet where he learned from parkland, where we learn from san bernardino, where he learned from the synagogue in pittsburgh. Where he learned from parkland. Where he learned from columbine. Where he learned from the mosques in new zealand. Where we learn from new york. But we did not learn to do something. Anything for those 2824 children. Places of worship are under assault every time a bullet is more important than a life. Do what is needed until this place can be safe for the future generations. And children of america. Enough is enough. Thank you. [applause] thank you. Up next, we have ivy. Hoffman. Can i tell you where they are from . Mohammed was some new york, queens. [applause] ivy, do you want to a book is a wonderful piece of magic. It can transport you to another world. It can give you a glimpse into the life of another person. It teaches you empathy. For children, reading is vital. And children from low income families need books the most. They need that escape, that hope for a better future. However, it seems that these children are our lowest priority when it comes to reading. Over 8. 7 million low income students are not proficient in reading. These are the kids who are going to make up the future of our nation. It is imperative that we give them the resources they need and deserve. And how can we do that if libraries are not getting the funding that they need . In 2013, the delaware state budget appropriated only 0. 06 of their money toward libraries. How can we grow and improve if we are taking something as magical as libraries for granted . Now, some people may not believe that this is a problem. Books are disappearing to make way for a new era, the era of technology. And yes, technology is a wonderful thing, but studies show that children growing up in homes with books average three years more schooling than those who grew up in homes without books. That is regardless of parents class, occupation and education. In addition, a study by the Reading Agency shows that reading can reduce anxiety and stress, increase selfesteem, and reduce symptoms of depression. It is magic. So, now that you note the so now that you know the problem heres what i need you , to do. Support organizations that work to solve this problem, such as reading is fundamental or room to read, but most importantly, read. By reading to the children in your life and encouraging them to read, we can move toward a stronger, better tomorrow. Thank you. [applause] thank you. Thank you, ivy. Magan. Is maleiha maleika ghana. This is my soapbox speech. Before i begin, i would like to ask if everyone can see me. Can you now . Great, because in the eyes of society, people of color are seen as invisible. No matter what we abolish, no matter what we established, it would still be there. No one else is going to fix this. We are not going to fix this tomorrow. Im talking about racism. Racism is something that has always been a part of our world and while my generation, generation z has been born in a place where there are segregated and just where there is segregation, racism is not dead. Abolished, itwas is disappointing because in the words of dr. Martin luther king junior, had a dream for all the little black boys and girls to play with all the little white boys and white girls and he did not want for us to tweet happy day and he did not die for this to be forgotten in the history books and he most certainly did not die about School Students who paint themselves including their faces lack. We turned our heads away from this and the police who think its ok to shoot people of color are adding to the problem and appear in ignorance of these people is adding to the problem. The words of dr. Martin luther king jr. , nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. According to npr, average americans report extensive amounts of greek discrimination. People have been discriminated against for their skin color which proves what im saying. In the words of dr. King, in the words of me, i say that racism is not ok. It has never been ok and the people that make it clear for racists are just as bad as the racist themselves. , every race a dream is equal to everyone feels included. His dream will stay a dream if this doesnt happen and we see racist acts all the time and we dont announce them. We let them think its ok to be like this. I will personally invite everyone to join me on this journey of announcing this i amior and the thing is, 13 years old and i should not be asking adults to do their job. It is summer. And going to a pool party worrying about what drama happened at the beach. Im here telling you adults to shape up. Im not done. You want to know why some people have nightmares . Because the strongest issue of them all is a gunshot. [applause] thank you. Up next we have nehemiah jackson. [applause] there is evil all over the world. This needs to end. The United States government is turning it blind eye to those who kill u. S. Citizens. 2018, 998 people have been murdered by police and its two people away from 1000. In 2019, 480 people have been murdered by u. S. Police officers and we are in the month of july. This is not how citizens should be treated because were all human beings. Is we have worse video proof of this violence by government officials. In 2017,search that two Police Officers were charged with beating a man in protest. These officers hit and kicked and threw him to the ground. What is what does the government to when Police Murder people . Nothing. Its like the police and government are teaming up to make citizen scared of them. This is not right. All races are being brutally abused by the police. To fit in and to this nonsense because i would never. Ant this for my family or me this could be your grandson or. Our son i believe that Police Officers should be punishable. Have policeis to officer get better training how to deal with the public, better training will help them understand that people have Mental Illnesses or are scared by police. Training, police should regard state laws and criminal ,nvestigations and procedures traffic control, defensive driving, selfdefense, first aid and computer skills. Something they dont learn is how to deal with scared citizens. Something they dont learn is how to deal with Mental Illnesses. Something they dont learn is how to handle their known just their own anger or handle their own partners. 3d printers, 5g internet, rovers to mars, this has caused them to drive themselves. We can surely make a weapon that doesnt kill. Maybe we can create some time of rubber bullet. , if it was to become great, we have to begin to treat citizens like their lives actually matter. In the words of a rapper, cup killer brother and get acquitted in a minute and try to block us out and think the murders are the victims. Its the world we live in. Peace. [applause] thank you. Next up [applause] good afternoon and i have a sensitive topic of it like to talk to you all about. I would like everyone in the audience to close their eyes and envision this. You are a nine euro girl being dragged into a hot. You torly woman tells strip off your close and late naked. That same old woman brings over a sharp knife and using that night, she slices off something in between your legs. You scream in agony and in pain most of you look at your mother for help yet your mother looks over at you and tells you to quiet down because you are being too loud. Now open your eyes. This is the story in reality of a young girl and that delicate piece of flesh that was sliced off was her genitals. She was the victims only crime was being a girl living in the wrong place in time. I understand that this topic is a taboo to discuss and may be difficult for some of you to hear but it is also a subject that received little to no recognition. For that reason, i ask for the audiences full attention. If everyone is too afraid to discuss this in progress will never be made. According to the world health organization, 200 million women worldwide, 44 million of those under the age of 15 are victims genitalfemale mutilation or circumcision. Female circumcision is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The whole purpose of this horrible procedure is to control a womans sexuality. It is thought to ensure virginity before marriage and increase male pleasure. Fgm is usually done by people with no medical knowledge and in filthy places. The consequences lead to better , depression,o ptsd childbirth cup locations and death. It is a disgusting, horrible, barbaric procedure that must be put to an end. One way to put an end to fgm is to sign a petition. Will outpaceowth progress over the next 15 years. The number of women subjected to harm will rise dramatically. Fg is on the rise. How manym more young girls have to be subjected to harm and have their childhood deprived of them. Only six out of 195 countries have equal rights for men and women. The lives of women and girls in third world countries are just as valuable and they need someone to speak up for them because global issues matter, to so please, sign the change. Org petition and lets put an end to female genital mutilation. Thank you. [applause] thank you. Johnson. E have jaylen [applause] School Shootings have no place in our country. They know have no place anywhere. You have a son. He is beautiful, born with big eyes and 10 fingers. You come home from work one day you decide to watch some tv, the news. Youre not surprise by what you see. Its just another School Shooting the news anchor says. When we going to learn that these things just happen. You learn that is not some school far of an another state. School with the active shooter is your sons school. You call your mother, you call everyone you know and you pace and pray and bend at the waist and egg. God for the return of your child that child is yours to love since he was first bread. Is this the day he takes his last . 1998, high School Students had this exact fear what a boy murdered two of his classmates, shot and murdered two of his classmates. In 2012, the parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School kids lost their babies because a grown man murdered 20 first graders with a god. In 2015 at an oregon committed the college, a man murdered eight of his classmates because he felt he did not fit in. In 2018, a boy attending Marjory StonemanDouglas High School killed 17 people with a gun. 17 people. Since 2012, School Shootings in america have become terrifyingly consistent. Just in the two year time span between 2013 and 2015, 140 two School Shootings have been reported. As of 2018, that number has risen heartbreakingly to 239. Over 400 2012 come people have died as a result of open gunfire on a school campus. According to the central news network, teen homicides rose 20 7 in 2016, firearms contributed 87 to these teen homicides. This calamity as Many Americans including myself calling for the absolute banning of guns. The idea of banning guns is like the muslim ban donald trump put in place and i find it disgusting President Trump for things thatg already exist in our country. Floors are not defenses my desk should never , have to defend me. I should not have to worry if my teachers are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to save mine. That is my right as a citizen and a compatriot of the earth. I am not at war and neither are my fellow peers. As a current high schools didnt there is a desperate need for , change. As someone who is not yet legally allowed to vote, i implore all of you when our time comes, please vote for efficient gun laws. Vote to protect the future of america. Vote to protect us, your babies, your children, sons and daughters. We deserve better. In a country that refuses to prioritize People Safety over the safety of inanimate objects. Thank you. [applause] thank you. Up next, aria bowman. [applause] she is a pretty girl, but she will never believe it. She could find a million imperfections within an inch of her body. That mask of makeup she wears, she is a pretty girl. Its to shield the eyes from her freckled face. She is a pretty girl. She wont ever believe it. Those crossed arms over her stomach is to hide the extra pieces of cake last night that she thinks makes her fat yet she wishes she was not so skinny. She is a pretty girl but she wont ever believe it. The thing she sees on tv tells her she is not good enough. She needs to be thin, tall, white, successful. Have a small appetite. Thick. Shes pretty girl but you will but she wont ever believe it. When she wakes up in the morning with a zit, she says she cannot go to school because she is sick. She crisis up to sleep because when she looks in the mirror, she cant stand herself. Shes a pretty girl but she will not ever believe it. She stays away from boys because they could not love someone that looks like her. She was told she had to look a certain way to attract men, attract men like it is her job to attract men. She was told this is not how she looked. She is a pretty girl. But she wont ever believe it. How could she believe it when society tells her every way she looks she is wrong . Put on some weight. Guys dont like skinny girls. Are you even healthy . You look manly. People like you should not wear a bikini. You are ugly. Shes a pretty girl but she will not ever believe it. Body expectations eat women alive until they are nothing. There will always be someone more beautiful. She wishes she loved herself. Shes a pretty girl. But she wont ever believe it. Young girls are told to be quiet, look pretty, be obedient. Be perfect. When will we stop tearing each other apart over what the media tells us we must look like . Accepting ourselves is hard. But i hope one day we will find the courage to let the beauty shine through. She is a pretty girl. And she knows it. [applause] thank you. Next. Luke sing. [applause] did you know 91 of plastic is not recycled . Recycling is metal, paper, glass, in the recycling bin so it can be used for new material. Of the 8. 3 billion metric tons, six point three become plastic waste. Of that, 9 has been recycled. The vast majority, 79 , are acute accumulate in our landfills or our letter. Letter litter. At some point it goes into the ocean. Could you imagine that much plastic in the ocean . Over 100,000 marine animals die every year from plastic entanglement. One Million People die from plastic. That is awful. By the end of 2015, they will be billions of plastic in our by the end of they will be 2050 billions of plastic in our landfill. That is 35,000 times as heavy as the empire state building. Also about 8 million tons and have in the ocean. Ends up in the ocean. Thats equivalent to five bags of plastic trash gathered around the coastline around the world. Some restaurants have been getting rid of plastic cups to reduce the plastic in her ocean. Also we have labels on recycling , material and we have been using reusable water bottles. I want people to not be lazy and throw their recyclables away. I think they should find a better way. To bring items to the mrs for recycling facility. Throughout the world, any plastic in our oceans, every place you go. Lets make this a reality, starting today. Visualize a sea turtle floating in the ocean without any plastic bags. Lets make this a reality, starting today. [applause] awesome. Thank you, luke. Next up, elani gilbert. [applause] im sorry, black men. The only place where your work will be of assistance is the streets of the ghetto. Im sorry, muslim woman. I am to afraid of hiring you because your father might be a terrorist. Since you are a mexican, i am going to pay you under the table. Because i know thats what you are used to. Discrimination has to stop. People are being punished every day for being themselves. As in africanamerican women, i sometimes feel like it is impossible for me to escape the fate given to me before i was born. I sometimes feel like im going to dial down my close because my skin color is enough to be labeled as an unsophisticated black girl. Black men feel like they should not try because they will be turned down because of the color of their skin. They end up in prison or killed. 82 of africanamericans feel like their crucial racial group is discriminated upon. I never understood how so much having a father who is christian and a mother who was muslim i never understood how so , much hatred and inequality could stem from religion. My parents never treated as if someone was more superior as the other. People are being killed because that persons religion has done something bad. Do we believe that all muslims have something to do with 9 11 . Have we had a reason to hate jews . Police officers are so carelessly arresting people who look latino. They forget so many citizens are of latino dissent. Statistics show 50 of hispanic americans feel like they are discriminated upon on a daily basis. When are we going to change . When are we going to look at each other as people . The first step starts with us. We must reflect on ourselves before we can make change. We must look at the discrimination before our eyes. We could have done something about it but we didnt. After we reflect we must make a , step toward change. What im asking you to do, put yourself in their shoes. Do for them what you would want done. Everybody is equal. Be against discrimination. Thank you. [applause] thank you. Next, lillian. Biolothompson. Come on down. This is all our fault. The countless lives that have been lost due to the arrogance of our lawmakers. The 13 lives of columbine. 27 lives of sandy hook. 49 lives of the pulse nightclub and the countless others we 58 lives of the Las Vegas Mass Shooting and the countless others we choose to ignore. Their blood has sustained our has stained our nation read but has yet to reach the colorblind leaders in our government. Every day we say we live in the land of the free. How can we be free if we know the hate outside our doors . We should be scared because in the u. S. There are 393 million civilian held firearms. That is 46 of the worlds civilian held firearms. More to outnumber each person in more than enough to outnumber each person in this country. We should be scared because we are not safe here. As students, we are expected to get up every morning and go to school hoping that it will be safe. Hoping that we will come home even though nothing has changed since columbine. Nothing has changed since sandy hook. How are we supposed to trust something that has failed us so many times before . Going out to have fun can end in disaster like it has for the victims of the Las Vegas Mass Shooting. Or the pulse nightclub shooting. Practicing religion can be chaos like it has been for the victims of the pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Even going to the Grocery Store can be scary because we know theres a chance we may never come home. In 2018 there were over 300 Mass Shootings. Over 300 times a gun was fired killing or injuring four people. We watched and let it happen. Our laws it happen. Our laws let it happen. Our laws let people come into our schools, houses, places of worship. We are a nation divided by greed and hatred and guns. We have been failed time and time again i our legislation and by our legislation and government. When asked what they value more, they chose guns over our lives. Countless loss will be a reminder to our generation and generations to come of this horrific time in our country. There is something wrong here. And people expected to work itself out. We will not be sent into war zones so people can work themselves out. We are not targets. We will not risk our lives every day knowing there will be no change. We are your future. [applause] all right. Thank you. Grimes,we have jaylen give her a hand. [applause] when i was four, i became a sister to my first foster brother. Although we did not share the same parents, we shaved a birthday. We shared the same birthday. He came into my life broken. Fracture put into when he was put into foster care he suffered from a fractured , skull. He was one of the most joyful people ive known. He was the meaning of resilience and strength. I thought a lot about my time with him. One of the most special relationships ive experienced. There are over 430 7000 youth in there are over 400 and 30 7000 there are over 400 set there are over 437,000 youth in foster care, all needing a place to call home. Whether an emergency placement or a longterm placement, i know from my experiences that you dont truly provide a home if you dont treat them or love them as your own. These children come from places of pain and hurt, whether from abuse or neglect, there is trauma. A child moves seven times in the foster care system. It is unfair they never get to settle in one place. I will admit it is scary to be a foster family. It makes for uncertain living and that should not be a reason not to foster. We see groups of siblings split up. There are no homes large enough to fit them. We see kids with special needs moving from home to home because theres not enough families to provide them with the level of care they need. And then there is the question everyone asks, i dont think i can do that. What if you become emotionally attached . When it was time for my foster brother to reunite with his family, it broke my heart. Looking back, i know we made a difference and it meant something. He left my home in a better place emotionally and physically then when he came in. There is no way to show someone they are valued and loved without becoming attached. It means something to take someone in and show them they are important. What if you dont become attached . Thank you. [applause] thanks. All right. Up next, matthew. Bingham. [applause] if you see someone wearing old clothing, you may think he or she is dirty or not worth your time. You may dismiss them. This is a preconception and the preconceptions we have can ruin any chance of a healthy relationship. That person with the ripped up clothing could have been your best friend or even spouse. You dismiss to them on the basis of how they looked. I like so many other africanamericans have to hope when an officer sees the color of my skin they dont assume i am doing something illegal. It is for things like this i have come to speak about police distrust. I was driving a friend home. We were hit by another car. Everyone was fine. I called the police to resolve the issue. As time passed and i waited for the police, i became more and more nervous. I began to think, what if i move too fast . What if they think im going to shoot them . What if they shoot me . I realized exactly the type of world we live in. The type of world that a community can be afraid of the people that have sworn to protect them and untrusting of those protectors as a result. It is not just me that things thinks like this. So many black parents rehearse a script with her kids to keep them safe. It goes like this lower your car window so the officer has a line of sight. Turn on the light. Keep your hands visible. Have your license accessible and let the officer know you are reaching for them so he does not shoot you. The child does not have to be doing anything wrong. Each of them knows because they have color in their skin they have to be cautious any time the police arrived. This can cause africanamericans to not call the police in situations that it will be beneficial to have them. Thats insane. The solution is social media. Social media can be one of the most influential carriers of change. This is so evident after Trayvon Martin and martin brown that a hashtag black lives matter proliferated. Another solution is to bring these concerns to your lawmaker. Bringing these to be legislative stage can bring changes and changes in how we as a society view black culture. Lastly, if you happen to see someone with dirty clothing, dark skin, or even a police uniform, release your preconception and prepare to love others for who they truly are. Thank you. [applause] awesome. Thank you, matt. Next up, moona, come on up. From the outside looking in, it is getting darker in the field. They walked those walk in the house and had to keep their hatred concealed. Away from the field, only to be whipped. Theyve been hating each other ever sense. White supremacy birthed our racism. We look at our sister and started to grade them. Look at your brothers complexion. We have a bigger enemy. Although black women love their man, you are not only handsome, but beautiful. Yeah beautifully ignorant. , you talk down to uplift. Quiet among dark skinned women. When a woman your color walks by. And darker skinned women dont want to talk. They buy bleaching cream so they can match. Their mother, cousins, sisters, preached to them to continue down that path. Like its a psalm. Kiki palmer said we need to stop separating ourselves from how dark or light we are. Like we do with music. Its like a drake said. He is not a real me grow. He is one of the most influential rappers of the 21st century and yet you say no. He has 100 million and a foundation. He still is not real. He would have been in the house. You would have been working the field. We would have been on the same plantation. In 2008, the university of georgia said skin tends to have a psychological effect on africanamericans. It was also a wellkept secret of the black community. I guess it affects more than dead bodies. On the others of our community, we lack in what the black idols tell us in the community, africans versus black. You dont make knowledge that you look to your right and we, call people african bootie scratchers problem. , the problem is there is a deep Self Division within the black community. We lack awareness and we lack unity. How to stop it . We need to stop it. Get ready to enter another era. We know about how to love ourselves. Stop comparing ourselves to pennies. We have enough to educate each other on our history, beauty, and diversity. You would talk about how they hurt us. You are hurting me. I called the black diaspora just because they hate on us does not give us reason to be coldhearted. And kill each other. Thank you. [applause] thank you. Next we have james. Hendrix. Testing. Testing. Testing. Act, sat, what the hell . We dont need it. We dont like it. We dont want to. I say this because testing is not the best way to measure our knowledge. Testing is not great advice. It does not create diversity. It does not value creativity or diversity. Everyone has unique talents and abilities. These tests should be eliminated. These tests are too crude to be used and should be abandoned. Instead of testing us, we should have self assessments and surveys that measure our creativity and understanding. Besides this is a digital world. , standardized testing has harmful effects on students. It can cause anxiety. When we dont do well, we lose confidence in our abilities about ourselves and we lose interest in school. Our classes would be better if teachers did not have to compare us. We are treated like robots instead of human beings. Eliminating standardized testing would allow us to be ourselves. These tests are not taking into account the many language barriers that prevent us from doing well. We are talented, but we dont test well. We are primarily tested on reading, math, and writing. What about our problemsolving skills . If you are stressed out from testing, i urge you to get involved. Protest. Contact your representative, your mayor, congressman, even your president. Lets encourage students to do it their own way. Thank you. [applause] awesome. Thank you. James. Next we have charlotte. Come on up. [applause] [applause] woo typically, this would be assigned interpretation but in order to reach the obvious i will be using simultaneous communication. A deaf child attending a mainstream school, surrounded by the sound of silence, sits in the seat and collapse without an interpreter, without a voice. Are you aware of how deaf students struggle in everyday life . Today, i am talking to you about the growing demand for participation. According to the bureau of labor statistics, the demand for asl interpreters is expected to rise 46 in the next two years. The americans with disabilities act requires schools to provide services to students with disabilities, but 20 of requests arent filled due to a shortage of qualified interpreters. Currently, there is a National Shortage of sign Language Interpreters in the u. S. , and this shortage will only increase as the demands for interpreters increases. Imagine if youre deaf child wasnt given the same opportunities and education because they dont have an interpreter to translate for them. The New York Times interviewed a deaf students who spent the majority of her school day without an interpreter. She stated she feels lost inside the classroom. Every day, many parents are letting their deaf child attend mainstream schools without an interpreter. But we have a solution. More students need to be made aware of sign language interpretation as a career opportunity. Schools offer programs that would qualify graduates for work rangingof from 20 to 25 per hour. I am here to ask you to speak to your school and administration about the importance of including asl as a language option in high school, so that more students are made aware of it as a career path. I also ask you to speak out about the need to hire qualified interpreters, so all deaf students can be included in the mainstream schools. If we dont come together, over 20 of deaf children in the u. S. Will never have a voice in schools. Thank you. [applause] [cheering] thank you, charlotte. How do you clap in sign language . All right, up next. We have raven alecia nash. [applause] are you listening . Are you listening . What about all of you back there . Are you listening . I have a few words for you, so you better listen close. It hits you all of a sudden. Its the middle of the day, you are surrounded by friends and the sun is out, but something isnt right. There is a ceiling, a very there is a feeling, a very uncomfortable feeling in your mind. It is in the pit of your stomach, you want to leave and go somewhere that is dark, you are being consumed. It is wrecking you from the inside out, but what can you do . Suffer . To, whatat many of us many of us do. I will tell you a short story. Once upon a time a young girl in a faraway place, milwaukee, wisconsin wished she was dead. She was flawed and afraid. No one understood the pain and emotion she tried to express. How can a quiet person speak out when no one try to hear . After countless times in hospitals, she did find someone. She changed schools, found a home where she could express herself, her knowledge, and creativity. That girl is me. She was diagnosed with epilepsy and depression, 2 different types of anxieties and adhd. Not everyone gets a chance to have change like me. According to the American Psychiatric association, 17. 1 million members have or have had a diagnosable psychiatric disorder in the u. S. Each year. The impact is more than a statistic. It is a feeling, an emotion, and our families with our friends and in our communities. Having a mental disorder shouldnt be any different than experiencing a physical illness. The people and families who deal with Mental Illness need to feel safe, to get help and discuss why it is considered a forbidden subject. It is possible and it is time to have healthy, open dialogue about these subjects, and it is time the world learns how. Many people throughout the u. S. Perceive the phrase Mental Health as a person that should be in a psychiatric hospital, a teenager or even an adult. How would i know . I was in them. The topic of Mental Health isnt being taken seriously. I advocated for immigrants last year, and i will continue that, but right now i will advocate for the people who are afraid to admit they have depression or bipolar disorder. In case any of you think that suicide is a Mental Illness, guess what . It is not, it is the cause of one. All those people who decided it was better if they left the life of the living are just misunderstood and judged for nothing. You know what . I would know, too. I tried. Ask me how many times ive tried and i will tell you. I will tell you straight up. After therapy and visiting a psychiatrist, i can admit im better now, but the story has the story of people has inspired me to be better and to tell their stories. I am standing right here in between this piece of tape. I wish i could scream out but im not. No, i want to to remember this speech. Excuse me. Let me rephrase that. I need you to help me make a sound about Mental Health. It is something that needs to be heard in something that needs to be accepted. It is not taboo. It is important. I advocated for immigrants, but i will advocate for people like me today. Bipolar disorder, adhd, depression, those are my main topics today, so i hope you were listening. I have an idea. After my speech, every time you see a social injustice, you hear someone joking about killing themselves, know what you can do for me . Put a hashtag, changeme. Fight back for the people who you know are in pain when they see somebody joking about something that shouldnt be joke about. This is extremely serious, and i need all of you, youth and adult, this has to be taken more seriously. [applause] right here, i am speaking for who were likele me that hid in the dark, that cried in the night because they wanted to kill themselves. So, right now, i am joining the people who want to raise their voice for Mental Health. Im not concluding this speech, im just beginning. Raven alecia. Remember that name. [speaking spanish] translation, im going to change the world and youre going to help me. [applause] ok. Your next, come on up. [applause] the sun rose on a beautiful world. Birds are chirping, breathing in the clean, fresh air. The dolphins and fish are playing in a beautiful blue ocean. Pedestrians, walking down the sidewalk, living the good life. Unfortunately, the world i just described is not reality, and we need to stop acting like it is. Meta, and iiran believe it is time for a change. The world is not what we wanted to be and it is only going to get worse without action. We need to stop global warming. According to the National Oceanic and atmospheric administration, in 2015 there were 10 weather and climate disaster events in the United States that caused over 1 billion in losses. This spike in storms annually has only been increasing, hurting our economy, environments, but most importantly, ourselves. How sad would it be for me to go to future generations and say i am so sorry, we cannot fix it . I am so sorry that because of the issues i created you cannot experience it and im sorry that despite the undeniable existence of climate change, we ignored it. We are like a car heading for a collision course, and the only sensible thing to do is to press the emergency brake. So how would we solve this problem . By promoting public transportation. The American PublicTransit Association claims Public Transit saves an estimated 14 million tons of Carbon Dioxide each year. Some School Districts, like in white plains, new york, are even investing in zero Emissions School buses, which are electrical. Unfortunately, like in places like indiana, there is no requirement for a School District to provide bus transportation to their children. We need to get buses in communities where they dont have them and encourage public transportation. A pictureperfect world might be closer than you think, but if we continue to ignore the signs we have in front of us right now, our dreams for a pictureperfect world will vanish into thin air and might as will be gone forever. Not only that, we can hope for a pictureperfect world, but hope without action is meaningless. We have the solutions in our hand. Now is the time to utilize them. Thank you. [applause] thank you. All right, thank you. How are you guys feeling . [cheers] sayanam we have yakuahi. [applause] i am a Muslim American student. I am a badger state scholar. I want you to listen to these two words and try to find the difference between them. [speaking arabic] the difference between these two words is that the first one comes from the mouth of a nonMuslim American student who says the racial slur because it is fun and funny. They do it to every muslim they see because it symbolizes the blowing up of something. The second one comes from the mouth of a muslim man or woman who says it before they pray, when they need help and guidance. It symbolizes the reassurance that god is the greatest and brings us to be calm and ease. I feel bad for the muslim boys and girls, but mostly the girls who wear a hijab on their head that represents their religion they get scared to go anywhere because of the ear being called a terrorist, walking down the hall when suddenly someone yells it out. You push it to the far end of your mind and laugh it off because you dont want to be the uncool one or the unfriendly one or the party pooper. Just stop, it is not cool, it is not funny, it is not epic. Its not funny and it never was funny. Im here to speak out on behalf of all of the muslims. Not only is this joke offensive but it is also scary. Scarier than everyone being scared of you blowing up the place because of your religion because of what you believe in. I have to prepare myself, prepare myself every day for endless questions and comments like whats that on your head . Why cant you eat pork . Why do you wear long things all the time . Oh my god, of my god, what would you do if i just snatched it off your head . All of these get annoying after getting repeated every five seconds by a stranger, but the worst thing ive been told was to warn them the day before i would blow the school. I take comfort in knowing i am a fun person to be around and these people throw these racial slurs because i am someone who does not care. My religion is not your joke. My religion is not your insult. I am not a terrorist. I am a Muslim American. Badger state scholar. Thank you. [applause] [cheering] thank you. Id like to call our last speaker. Come on up. [applause] [cheers] hey, everybody. Cole,favorite artist, jay as a song and he said theres all sorts of drama from trauma that children see, the type of stuff that would normally cause therapy, but you know how it goes in the black community, we have to keep it in no matter how hard it can be. Fast forward they grown and they all smoking trees, popping pills for chronic anxiety. Tell me my friends, are you comfortable in your skin, or are you hurting yourself so you can keep it in . In, it seems as though the media adopted Prescription Drug abuse as the new must to be cool. Hiphop artist newest songs had me and all my friends singing Molly Percocet when we didnt even know it was. The drug we know as molly and percocet contain the opiums that are, according to the nations Opioid Crisis website, dont quote me, those opiums they contain other numbers three and four in the top five leading opioids to cause overdose in teens nowadays. Its funny. We never realize the matches we entice our children to play with. We never weigh the possibility of them starting fires that swallow most whole. I didnt. 2017, i had just left my freshman year, going into my sophomore year wrestling. I played sports in the city, and then i broke my leg right before the wrestling season started. Two weeks later, life led me to my older brothers funeral. An injured wrestler, a restless person, a grieving sibling, i sat in my room with a bottle full of pills that made me feel better. All i knew is that the more i took, the less i felt, and the better off i was until i woke up. So i took more and it went from two, to four, to six, to me finishing 90 pills in one week. I was right at the brink of an addiction when my doctor realized how fast my prescription requests were coming in, when my friends told me i was acting different, and when my parents told me the light in my eyes didnt look the same. They sat me down and they made talk, and after that, i went to therapy. Wasnt that iem was in pain. The issue was that i was in pain emotionally. That i have problems going on inside of me that i couldnt deal with without talking, so i put down pills and pick up conversations. We make the common conversation in the open in american society. We allow people the opportunity to dream, tube feel free, to feel weightless, as i did, because not many got to be me stop many failed to be counted as one of 72,000 to die in drug overdoses in america since 2017. I say that we grab this problem from the root, and we allow everyone to express themselves the way they need to. I say we start this conversation because in five minutes we can say five peoples lives. Maybe intending didnt maybe in 10 minutes, and my speech right here, we can save 20 peoples lives. Theres no telling what we can do until we start the conversation. So i beg you and ask you humbly, after hearing my story, hearing the stories on the news of x amount of teens down over drug overdoses, opioid overdoses. Stop numbing the pain and allow them to express themselves, sit down and talk with them. Start the conversation. And if you agree with me, say start the conversation. Say it like you mean it, start the conversation. Start the conversation. Say it like you are in church. Start the conversation. Now post that on your facebook. Thank you. [applause] please, another round of applause for these incredible speakers we just heard it. [applause] i want to thank all the young people today who spoke, who were brave, who helped us learn about the Critical Issues facing young people, adults, our communities in this country, thank you. We are so grateful to learn from you. We are so grateful for you to speak out, and this is just the beginning. Yall are so powerful. I cannot wait to see what you do next. Thank you to the adults for coming out and supporting youth voice and everything young people are working toward. Take what they say to heart and take action on these issues. I want to give a big thank you to Facebook Education for being an incredible partner in making all this happen. [applause] and have a fantastic night. Thank you. [applause] announcer many members of congress are back in their home states for the august recess. Tina smith tweeted this video with the question what is your favorite part of the great minnesota gettogether . This is one of mine, with a video of her at the state fair. John curtis tweets, ive had a great conversation about red flag laws, government shutdowns, daca, environmental protections and more this week at town halls. I am so appreciative of all who share their concerns with me. Join me tonight in woodland hills. Live here on cspan, in about 10 minutes, a News Conference on stopping unwanted robo calls. You can watch your live at 1 30 eastern or online at cspan. Org. You can listen live on the free cspan radio app. Announcer announcer cspans live coverage of campaign 2020 continues this week. Today at 6 30 p. M. , john delaney and tim ryan, live from londonderry, new hampshire. On friday at 6 00 p. M. Eastern, mayor pete the judge with a live town hall. Watch campaign 2020 coverage on cspan, any time at cspan. Org or listen live from wherever you are on the go using the free cspan radio app. Announcer saturday, on big tv, at 7 00 a. M. Eastern, and her latest book, zara looks at the challenges the mill arab and middle eastern journalists face while reporting. All of the authors were able to push through whatever barriers they had in right really openly and honestly about their deepest struggles. One of the essays that comes to mind is [indiscernible] you mentioned her. It is such a raw and honest account of grief and loss. It also reflects the state of the arab world today. This is not an uplifting book. Announcer sunday, at 745 time p. M. Eastern, imani perry on race, gender, and class. Her most recent book is reeve, a letter to my son. The reality is that i have to arm them, not simply with skills, andset of intellectual tools that allow them to flourish in school, and ethics and values, but also a way to make sense of the hostility they encounter every whoserom people at times responsibility is to treat them as community members. Announcer at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on afterwards, Media ResearchCenter Founder and president bozell onll brett his book. All decency has been cast , from donald trump to his opponents, but also from his opponents to him. They call him far worse things. They are attempting to do far worse to him than what they accuse him of doing to them. They have no right. None. Announcer watch book tv, every weekend on cspan two. Announcer sunday night, on queuing day, theoretical physicist michio cockapoo kaku. It takes your digital footprint, your credit card records, what movies you see, what wind you like to buy combo countries you visit. Your videos, pictures, audiotapes tapes, and creates a profile that is digitized which will last forever. When you go to the library of the future, it will not take out a book of winston churchill. You will talk to winston churchill. 8 00ncer sunday night at p. M. Eastern on cspans q hyundai q and a. Announcer joining us on the is anna who covers Homeland Security issues for the publication. Good morning to you. Good morning, pedro. Good morning