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.
Alex Yu is one of those students. Yu is a rising senior at Middleton High School in Wisconsin. He shares his experiences at the Institute and what comes next in his advocacy work.
I first learned about the Student Press Law Center through a simple internet search. I would’ve never guessed that this search would pull me into the world of student journalism and introduce me to New Voices. Through my research, I discovered that my state, Wisconsin, had been very close to passing a New Voices bill in the past, but it had never succeeded. Eager to protect student journalism from censorship and explore my passion for law, I joined the New Voices Student Leaders Institute.
The program was filled with different activities to guide us and clarify any questions we might have had about our advocacy. A memorable part was meeting guest speakers Jonathan Gaston-Falk and Faith Zantua. While it was helpful to learn different strategies for successful advocacy, the speakers truly clarified the “gray areas” we had about how to actually carry out these initiatives. Hearing about their personal experiences with New Voices advocacy stood out the most. Their stories resonated with me because I was able to envision myself in the shoes of an actual advocate. The speakers’ advocacy methods were also very similar to the strategies we learned in the institute, so it was interesting to see them in action. This experience helped bridge the gap between what I learned and how I could apply it myself.
My biggest takeaway from participating in the institute was learning how to be a leader in the legal world. I did not have any previous experience in advocacy or working with state legislators, so I was initially unsure of how to actively participate.
The institute provided me with the resources and information I needed to become a leader. I learned that there is no easy path to passing a New Voices bill and that I often had to step out of my comfort zone for my advocacy to succeed.
– Alex Yu
By doing so, I know my communication and organizational skills will also become more efficient.
In the future, I hope to utilize the work I’ve done during the institute, such as SMART goals and SWOT analyses, to improve my advocacy efforts. I plan to reach out to other student journalists, teachers, state legislators or anyone else who supports the New Voices bill to strengthen student press freedom in Wisconsin. Through SPLC, I’ve learned that removing the fear of censorship opens up countless opportunities to hear student voices, and I’m excited to move forward in making Wisconsin an official New Voices state.
Learn more about how you can take action to restore and protect student press freedom in your state.