Now more than ever it’s important for young people’s voices to be heard. You may hear this a lot, but it needs to be said and pushed even more. Young people have opinions just as everyone else does, but we are the one’s creating futures for ourselves and others. Many people may think that speaking up about something means talking about politics or standing up to a bully. However, that is not the case. You can be heard and talk about what is most important to you in a variety of ways that include voting in elections, saying something when you see someone doing something that could be wrong, writing pieces for your school newspaper, attending protests, having a podcast or radio show and doing surveys.
Many people are scared to let their voice be heard in fear that they will be judged. People also lack public speaking skills, which isn’t a bad thing but definitely something that can be worked on. When I was young, my mom signed me up for acting classes so I could get comfortable with public speaking at a young age. Doing this definitely helped me a lot with being confident to speak in front of groups of people. It can be scary at first, but with practice, you will get better at it and become more comfortable.
One of my favorite ways I let my voice be heard is by being part of my college radio station. My partner and I host a radio show together called “Time Traveling Tunes” where we play music from bands and artists that had something happen to them that week. We also share facts about the music and artists. Doing this has been one of my favorite things about college. I can’t tell how many people are listening to me talk, which helps me to not be scared about talking. We have the right to voice our opinions and to talk, so we should all use it.
I’m grateful to have so many opportunities to speak up and voice my opinions because some people do not. We should never take for granted what we have in life because it could be taken away from us at any point. Voicing your opinions and letting yourself be heard is one of the best things that you can do, in my opinion. It is also important to support others who use their voice and speak out because they may have been scared to do so. Please go out, use your voice and don’t be scared to do so. Your voice matters, even when you think it doesn’t.