In our modern-day society, our generation is bombarded with news about the economic downturn and growing unemployment numbers. Because of this, thousands of youth throughout the country become frustrated when they begin to think about choosing a career path best suited for them.
So how do we fix this? Communication. Inspiring teenagers and young adults to voice our their frustrations, to say what they hope to see in the future and to give them the ability to release an array of emotions that they have kept bottled inside. That is where the "Voices Within" Journal Project comes in.
Inspired by the 1000 Journals Project and my high school's literary anthology, the objective of this project is circulate journals throughout the country specifically targeted for teens. The journals will be blank and will be left at places where teens and young adults visit the most: coffee shops, bookstores, malls, etc. The person who picks up the journal can begin their story. They can voice out their experience, concerns, their aspirations, their two cents for future generations. Once they are done with the journal, they will pass it on. The next person will write it in, perhaps respond to what the first person and pass it on to another person. That person will write in it, pass it onto another person and so on. Whether they pass the journal to their friends, classmates or leave it at a random public setting for the next person to write in, the goal is to create a snowball effect where youth from all walks of life can chime in and express themselves in a way where they haven't been able to do before.
Although this proposal won't exactly guarantee the creation of jobs, I am hoping that this open exchange of experiences and advice will create a unity within the youth community that will inspire teens and young adults to further their education, to encourage them to aspire for the stars and empower them to become the greatest they can be.
My name is Andy and throughout my life, I operated under a fog, unsure of what I wanted to do, whom I wanted to become, what I was going to do with my life. When I was in second grade, I wanted to become a police officer. When I was in fifth grade, I wanted to become a teacher. When I was in my sophomore year in high school, I wanted to become a history major. It was only until my senior year of high school did I truly knew what I wanted to become: a graphic designer. Now, you may be thinking "Oh, he is just going to change his mind once again" and I don't blame you for that. But you have to trust me when I say I have no doubt in my mind that this is what I want to become. It is something that I have enjoyed doing since middle school and now I want to seek a career in it. It is this new found confidence in myself that prompted me to want to give to others the same confidence in themselves. This project will hopefully inspire the youth community to be confident in themselves, to give them the courage to confer with others about the uncertainties that I had growing up, and to find a niche so they can spend their entire lives on something that they can enjoy doing.
