True Star Media recently held a youth town hall event, Chi Town Hall, at Columbia College, where over 200 teens and young adults came together to discuss a variety of topics including trends, curfews, civic engagement and a safe space for this generation.
The day was filled with fun, starting with a special performance by From the ‘Go Fest artist Zia Jenaye. The panel was moderated by From the ‘Go podcast show host Sullivan Grace Anderson. Featured panelists included True Star participants Kennedy Bolton and Dejeon “DJ” Jackson, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization youth organizers Timara Wade and Kahlil Cotton, and Good Kids Mad City founding member Darrion Johnson. Closing remarks were made by James Mitchell of the Crisis Prevention & Response Unit from Metropolitan Peace Initiative.
The purpose of the panel was to show teens how to get involved in their communities especially with the 30 minute Snap curfew that was recently passed by City Council and then vetoed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. The curfew was a response to the teen get-togethers that tend to occur downtown at a certain place and a certain time. Such congregations or “trends,” as they are commonly referred to, have led to many community members complaining about disturbances in their neighborhoods, violence, and unfortunately multiple teen deaths.
During the discussion, many members of the panel expressed that their attraction to the trends was fueled by a want to congregate with other teens in the city. The importance of creating spaces for youth that are curated by youth was stressed.
“Today’s event was interesting,” said Kaymaree, a Perspectives junior and KOCO (Kenwood Oakland Community Organization) participant. “I learned a lot about a lot of the different programs and organizations and what they do here, and I like it a lot.”
Kamari, a junior at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, and a Good Kid Mad City member, spoke on his experience as well. “Today was very interesting to me because I was able to see some of the different programs within the city of Chicago that all have the same goals to help young kids throughout the city just grow and learn different things.”
When asked what a safe space for Chicago youth looked like to him, Kamari said, “To me, a safe space in Chicago looks like the event I’m at now. Like, everybody coming together, no matter the age, just getting along. You know, doing things that can teach us some stuff that we don’t know about.”
Overall the day was a huge success and ended with an interactive game of Kahoot. The game helped teach and remind audience members of their rights and how to correctly approach situations with law enforcement.
Be on the lookout for more True Star events, including the BMOA sponsored event Wrqpped and Ready, a pre-party pop-up for the From the ‘Go Fest, happening this Thursday, July 10, at McDonald’s at 2525 S. King Dr. This is a free event. And don’t forget to be at True Star’s fifth annual From the ‘Go Fest on July 26th on the DuSable Museum campus. Follow us on Instagram to stay in the know.
By Amariyah Mallory, Whitney Young, Senior
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