Oak Grove School junior Aishwarya Badami didn’t understand how much of an impact her voice had on her peers.
But at the beginning of January, she showed up at Ojai’s Libbey Bowl to participate in a panel about the issues in our society, not yet knowing how important this was.
“I wanted to show that when the opportunity is there, to take it and not be scared that you are going to be seen a certain way, even if it looks like that,” said Aishy, adding that she was asked to talk about her experience of being a teenager person of color in Ojai. “And I really wanted to change the approach of talking about difficult things.”
Aishy was a part of a youth-orchestrated meeting on MLK day, aimed at not only Martin Luther King and his achievements, but the whole youth-driven community of Ojai.
The panelists got together and politely answered questions about how they battle with the current conditions of our society.
The young panelists’ mission was to convey a message to those who chose to hear them.
But, in a society where the voices of the youth are pushed down and drowned out by media and egotistical politicians, the brilliant young minds who dedicated their time last month are begging for change.
In this day and age, the voices of young people must be taken more seriously. They strive for change that is bigger than themselves and their generation. The problem is, a large majority of students don’t think twice about what’s going on in the current state of our society.
The brave students who spoke on the panel were the selected few who decided to put down their phones and do something for the greater good of their generation. But how do they help the rest of their peers do the same?
Organizer of the MLK event, Kate Russell, has forever been passionate about the voices of the youth.
“I think the youth voice deserves, but also needs to be heard because I think a lot of teens are asking, ‘are they really listening?’ ” Russell said.
In Ojai, thanks to Russell, students have had the opportunity to make sure their voices are heard.
On the panel, students were asked about political questions and how it affected their lives, and how they go about navigating through a world where their voices are being drowned out by rhetoric from older generations.
This generation is responsible for fixing most of the problems that have been passed down from past generations.
Despite the issues that were passed down from generations, some students had a more positive response to our world’s situations.
Sam Panikowski, a junior attending the Weil Tennis Academy, not only was a part of the panel but also read an original speech about being a minority in Ojai.
During his interview, Sam approached every question with positivity.
“I generally feel like we live in a world of oppression, and the best thing that we can do right now is have positivity,” he said. “I felt like it was a good opportunity to inspire and build on MLK’s message.
Similar to Sam, others also looked through a positive lens, but also recognized the important issue and disappointment of the American people.
Nordoff High School senior Ella Seery brings her fiery passion to common issues like these to prove that the youth voices are not something to ignore.
“I wanted to prove that the youth everywhere does have a voice and that our thoughts and opinions do matter, especially now,” Ella said.
Regarding the current state of our government and the world, Ella emphasizes the inspiration it gives her to move forward.
“It is truly heartbreaking to see,” Ella said. “But as of right now, it is only giving me and many members of my community more fuel to inspire change and continue to be that change that we want to see.”