Youth Leadership in Action: Building Connection and Systems Change with Youth MOVE Nevada

Host Carmen continues her conversation with Brenna, youth leader of Youth MOVE Nevada, focusing on Nevada’s rural isolation, lack of community connection, and the importance of social connection for health and healing. Brenna describes chapter challenges such as reaching rural youth and increasing awareness that youth voices are welcome, and explains how virtual meetings support statewide inclusion. She outlines multiple engagement pathways for youth—decision-making in meetings, polls and chat participation, podcast and social media contributions, toolkits, contests, and youth panels—within a peer-led model that builds leadership. Brenna shares experiences bringing youth voice into systems-level meetings, noting receptivity but sometimes limited dialogue, and highlights the Youth Voice at Agency Level assessment/training, work with UNR on system-of-care data collection and youth focus groups, and her role with a Nevada Medicaid behavioral health transformation workgroup shaping care coordination improvements. She is excited about continued chapter growth and directs listeners to YouthMoveNV and YouthMoveNV@nevadapep.org.

00:00 Welcome Back Part Two

00:34 Nevada Rural Isolation

01:22 Why Connection Matters

04:51 Reaching Rural Youth

06:46 Everyday Youth Engagement

12:05 Youth Led Meetings

13:27 Youth Voice In Systems

16:22 YVAL And UNR Partnership

21:26 Medicaid Summit Impact

26:08 Future Growth And Contact

28:13 Final Thanks And Wrap

Youth Move Nevada’s Brenna on Youth Advocacy, Mental Health Challenges, and System-Level Youth Voice

Host Carmen interviews Brenna, team facilitator and youth leader with Youth Move Nevada, about her path from working at Nevada PEP to youth advocacy, including how learning about disabilities led her to seek an ADHD evaluation and feel empowered by diagnosis and self-advocacy. Brenna explains Youth Move Nevada’s origins as a youth-voice program under Nevada PEP, its autonomy, and its goals: building youth self-advocacy skills, empowering youth-led change, and reducing stigma around mental health and disabilities for ages 14–24 statewide. They discuss Nevada’s mental health challenges, including ranking 51st, provider shortages, limited community-based services that can force out-of-state treatment, rural/frontier access barriers, siloed systems, and gaps in awareness, alongside a reported 2% state suicide-rate reduction. Brenna describes youth engagement methods (virtual meetings, polls, podcasts, social media, contests, panels) and system advocacy using the Youth Voice at Agency Level tool, work with UNR on needs assessments, and Medicaid workgroups shaping care coordination.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:04 Brenna Story and Lived Experience

04:23 ADHD Diagnosis and Empowerment

09:04 Youth Move Nevada Origins

12:05 Host Org and Autonomy

19:45 Who Can Join Youth Move

21:52 Mission and Core Goals

24:13 Nevada Mental Health Crisis

27:19 Rural Access and Out of State Care

33:31 Siloed Systems and Awareness Gaps

35:28 National Youth Mental Health Context

37:31 Why Nevada Ranks Last

38:23 Rural Frontier Reality

41:17 Isolation and Loneliness

45:15 Reaching Rural Youth

47:41 Everyday Youth Engagement

54:46 Youth Voice in Systems

57:33 YVAL and UNR Partnership

01:03:22 Medicaid Summit Impact

01:08:39 Chapter Growth and Contact

Youth Empowerment Radio S3E4: Real Talk Mental Health Support Group at Oaktree Youth Resources

In Season 3, Episode 4 of Youth Empowerment Radio, interns Brooke and Berkeley from Oaktree Youth Resources describe Real Talk, a weekly mental health support group held every Tuesday from 4–5 PM. They explain that the group aims to provide a safe, supportive, consistent space where youth can share successes and challenges, seek advice, or simply connect without having to talk. The episode covers topics and activities used in meetings—such as trust, boundaries, sobriety, group-building games, and planned crafts—plus engagement strategies like hands-on activities, food, easy opening questions, and potential pro-social events. They discuss how supportive peer communities encourage accountability and healthier choices, barriers like not knowing where to find support and lack of trust, ways to create inclusive spaces through group norms and consent to share, and long-term benefits such as reduced isolation, increased confidence, goal achievement, and improved wellbeing.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:45 What Real Talk Is

01:23 Meeting Activities and Topics

01:59 Keeping Youth Engaged

03:09 How the Group Is Going

03:54 Peer Support and Accountability

05:06 Barriers to Seeking Help

06:44 Creating Inclusive Safe Spaces

07:51 Long Term Mental Health Benefits

09:08 Thanks and Weekly Invite

So many mental health struggles grow stronger in isolation. Having a space—or even just one person—to turn to—can make all the difference in breaking that cycle.

Thank you to Brooke and Burkley at Oak Tree Resources for creating that space.

Join Real Talk every Tuesday from 4:00–5:00 PM. You don’t have to go through it alone.

Youth Empowerment Radio S3E3: Olivia of Youth MOVE Pinellas on Youth-Led Mental Health Advocacy

In episode three of season three of Youth Empowerment Radio, host Carmen speaks with Olivia, president of Youth MOVE Pinellas in Pinellas County, Florida, a youth-led chapter under Youth MOVE National supported by NAMI. Olivia shares how she joined in September 2024, why youth advocacy around mental health and education matters, and how the chapter creates safe, stigma-reducing spaces through an “authentic check-in” at meetings and events. She highlights three 2025 events: Healing Through Comics, a free four-week workshop with artist Jeff Morris; Youth Explosion’s Coping Skills Corner for third to fifth graders with over 200 participants; and Waves of Resilience, a beach cleanup that also distributed hurricane preparedness kits after two hurricanes, drawing about 50 people. They discuss youth engagement via tabling, partnerships, and social media, challenges like transportation and insufficient marketing, and Olivia’s leadership growth in communication, empathy, and time management.

00:00 Welcome and Episode Preview

00:53 Meet Olivia and Her Why

03:33 How Youth Move Works

04:27 Creating Safe Spaces

06:23 Host Organization and Local Roots

07:39 Healing Through Comics

12:18 Youth Explosion Coping Skills

14:31 Waves of Resilience Cleanup

16:52 Growing the Chapter and Outreach

25:31 Challenges Transportation and Marketing

30:04 What Youth Led Looks Like

33:01 Future Plans and Where to Find Them

34:38 Closing Thanks

Youth Empowerment Radio S3E2: Making Data Accessible with Colorado Equity Compass

In Season 3, Episode 2 of Youth Empowerment Radio, host Carmen Sosso and co-host Claud Figaro talk with Alina and Lauren from Colorado Equity Compass about using data to support equity and social justice in Colorado. They introduce the Colorado Equity Compass as a free, public resource that combines accessible data tools, community stories, trainings, and an advocacy module to help people understand local conditions and make data-informed decisions. The conversation highlights the Equity Data Navigator, which organizes localized metrics using social determinants of health, and discusses practical uses such as needs assessments, program planning, grant writing, and policy advocacy. They also address data limitations, including historical exclusion of groups like unhoused youth, and emphasize the importance of lived experience and storytelling alongside quantitative data.

00:00 Welcome and Episode Preview
00:48 Meet Alina and Lauren
03:58 What Is Colorado Equity Compass
06:07 Real World Use Case
09:28 Equity Data Navigator Explained
15:37 Data for Grants and Policy
20:04 Social Determinants of Health
24:52 What Makes CEC Unique
26:30 Community Stories and Storytelling
35:42 Social Justice and Why It Matters
40:07 Data as Social Justice Lens
42:10 Micro Level Justice
43:16 Limits of Data
46:08 Equality vs Equity
47:49 Justice in Practice
52:30 Health Equity Gaps
58:18 Rural Food Access
01:03:38 Education Shapes Outcomes
01:09:03 How to Get Involved
01:11:12 Staying Connected
01:13:14 Final Reflections

Youth Empowerment Radio host Carmen opens season three with Shaka Mitchell, executive director of the Come Together Music Project, a nonprofit using music to deepen connection and bridge political, socioeconomic, and generational divides. Shaka shares how COVID-era isolation and rising polarization inspired “Song Swap,” a monthly gathering where participants share songs by category and the personal stories behind them, leading to greater trust and understanding. He explains how events are structured with increasingly vulnerable prompts and why the focus is on the meaning behind a song rather than musical taste, citing examples with judges, faith leaders, and Nashville’s mayor. Carmen tries the format with “Uptown Funk,” discussing volleyball, injury, and identity, as they reflect on listening as a “pause button” for healthier conversation.

00:00 Season Three Kickoff

00:52 Meet Shaka Mitchell

01:29 Why Music Matters

03:05 Song Swap Origins

05:38 From Swap to Events

07:20 Designing Vulnerable Prompts

10:15 Story Over Song Choice

11:57 Music as Emotional Language

14:31 Faith and Connection

17:08 Challenges and Receptivity

19:39 Music Beyond Politics

26:19 Generational Bridges

28:07 Music for Common Ground

29:13 Three Questions to Ask

31:23 Using Curiosity to Connect

32:57 Live Song Swap Demo

35:00 Volleyball Dreams and Injury

38:39 Obsession as Escape

43:56 Why Listening Matters

46:02 Hopeful Human Connection

49:49 How to Support the Project

51:33 Final Reflections and Thanks

Understanding Power Dynamics: Interview with Dr. Amanda Aguilera | Youth Empowerment Radio

Join Audrey on the Youth Empowerment Radio podcast as she interviews Dr. Amanda Aguilera, the Executive Director of the Right Use of Power Institute. In this insightful episode, Dr. Aguilera dives deep into the nuances of power dynamics, the importance of being 'power conscious,' and the significance of youth voice in today's society. Learn about the unique approach of the Right Use of Power Institute, how to cultivate a responsible relationship with power, and the impact of cultural differences on power. This episode is essential for anyone interested in understanding and navigating power with awareness and integrity.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

02:19 Understanding the Right Use of Power

04:42 Developing a Conscious Relationship with Power

06:31 The Importance of Youth Voice

09:18 Navigating Power with Awareness and Integrity

10:50 Examples of Positive Power Use

15:23 Challenges in Embracing Ethical Power

18:09 Global Impact and Cultural Differences in Power

22:36 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Empowering Youth Voices: Advocacy in Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems

This is part 1 in a 2-part series. In this episode of the Youth Empowerment Radio podcast by Youth Move Colorado, host Carmen kicks off a series on youth voice and advocacy. They are joined by Braden Babcock, Shelby Costello, and Dominique, three youth advocates with lived experiences in the juvenile justice and foster care systems. The discussion delves into how youth can utilize their voices for change, influence policy, and raise awareness about youth advocacy within organizations. The guests share their personal journeys into advocacy, highlight important initiatives like the Sibling Bill of Rights, and stress the critical role of adults in supporting and listening to young advocates. They also explore the complexities and nuances of advocating within different systems and the impact it has on creating meaningful changes.

00:00 Introduction to Youth Empowerment Radio
01:38 Meet the Youth Advocates
02:32 Shelby's Advocacy Journey
03:29 Al's Advocacy Work and Challenges
05:18 Understanding Youth Advocacy
07:03 Navigating the Juvenile Justice System
16:50 The Role of Adults in Youth Advocacy
18:47 Improving Support Systems for Youth
23:22 Conclusion and Final Thoughts