Marty Hagedorn has a passion for social justice. He puts it to use as a program coordinator at Pathfinders, where he started something called Youth Rising Up. It’s a way for concerned youth to voice their opinions and talk about current issues directly affecting them. These are youth who are often overlooked and now, they get to lead the discussion.
The forum is held every Wednesday at Pathfinders, a local organization that provides a wide array of resources for struggling young adults. They have a drop-in center and shelter for homeless youth and clients can get counseling if they want to talk one-on-one.
Youth Rising Up is a chance to share personal thoughts amongst a group that wants to help analyze and collectively act on the things they bring up - things like education and dealing with violence in their neighborhoods.
By giving these youth the opportunity to lead the talk at Pathfinders, Marty hopes they’ll find their voices and make themselves heard far beyond the meeting room.
Produced by Benjamin Wick
Interview and co-production by Lisa Goldman
