The Student Press Law Center’s sixth annual New Voices Student Leadership Institute kicked off this year with 25 students from 15 states. They joined SPLC staff members and special guest speakers to learn about the New Voices movement and how they could be leaders in their state’s efforts toward student press freedom.
Students engaged in a wide range of activities meant to enhance their leadership and organizing skills and develop their role with the New Voices movement. During the free online program, they participated in workshops on public narratives, created an advocacy strategy for their state, and heard from experts on press freedom. Among this year’s guest speakers were Steve Listopad, a journalism instructor and long-time New Voices advocate, and Institute alumni, who returned to motivate the new class of student leaders. Guests emphasized the importance of student voices in this movement and beyond, and guided students on how to use their voice to pass legislation that protects their First Amendment rights.
After spending two weeks learning from SPLC team members, special guest speakers and one another, this new group of New Voices student leaders are ready to put their strategies into action in their states.
Emma Wilkins is one of those students. Wilkins is a senior at Hunter College High School in New York where she serves as editor for her school newspaper, What’s What. She shares her experiences at the Institute and what comes next in her advocacy work.
My name is Emma, and I’m so excited to tell you a bit about my experience participating in this year’s New Voices Student Leaders Institute! During the two-week program, I learned all about my rights as a student journalist and created a plan to advocate for student press freedom in my home state of New York during the upcoming school year.
I decided to apply to become a Student Leader because, when I have faced forms of censorship at my school newspaper, I haven’t known how to advocate for myself. In my state, students aren’t protected from having their articles changed by their schools’ administrators. At my paper, my article titles have been changed to portray my school administration more positively. I wanted to learn what I can do to protect myself and my newsroom, and how to advocate for other student journalists in my state.
During the institute, we had the opportunity to hear from multiple longtime members of the New Voices movement. It was especially interesting to meet Faith, a Student Leader from Pennsylvania who organized a lobby day to push New Voices legislation forward in her state. Hearing about the concrete action she has taken to advance New Voices legislation helped me start thinking about how I will advocate in my state, and helped me develop my goals for the upcoming advocacy year.
I greatly appreciated having the opportunity to learn more about the legislative process in different states and the work that goes into passing legislation. This information will serve me not only as an advocate for New Voices, but also as I become more confident in my own voice more broadly. Now, I feel better prepared to advocate for causes I believe in, and I feel like I am capable of helping to create change for my local community.
I was also so grateful for the opportunity to connect with other student journalists from across the country. Hearing about the important reporting they’re doing reinvigorated my passion for my own work at my school’s paper.
This year, I will continue as a Student Leader for the New Voices movement. I plan to work to advance New Voices legislation in New York by contacting state legislators with other high schoolers to share the work we do and explain how expanding our freedoms would help us. I am also hoping to connect with other organizations that work to increase access to high school journalism opportunities in New York to build the New Voices coalition here.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to get involved with New Voices this summer, and I am looking forward to continuing to fight for student press freedom in the upcoming school year.
Learn more about how you can take action to restore and protect student press freedom in your state.
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