Past Events
The co-presidents of Youth Informed, Linda Yu and Kriti Persaud, led a team of club members to Columbia University's 2025 EcoReps event where they created a climate activism plan to reduce Forest Hills High School's carbon footprint through the implementation of metal utensils. Youth Informed was awarded with the Impact Award and a $500 grant.
3 members of Youth Informed organized and were panelists for this intergenerational panel, hosted in collaboration with Commonpoint Queens, Queens Community Board 6, Let’s Talk Democracy, and others. Older and young panelists shared their views on healthcare, challenging them to consider the lived experiences of a different generation. One recurring topic was mental health, in which the older generation shared stories of the stigma they grew up with, while younger panelists talked about the impact of therapy and the lack of mental health assistance in schools.
(B4) is an initiative launched by Mayor Adams to fund meals and conversation, encouraging community members to make connections and break down racial/cultural barriers. Attendees sit in small groups to eat and answer questions like "What's one thing you would change about your community", leading to discussion and collaborations. Members attended their first B4 in June of 2024, and have since organized another in October and are working to secure funding for more.
6 panelists - 3 younger and 3 older - were brought together to discuss the topic of immigration through a generational lens. Presidents Vilinez Estevez and Salma Baksh were among the younger panelists, as well as Youth Informed Club member Gray Lopez. Together, the group explored the way immigration affected their lives as individuals and that of their families. They touched on the popular notion of the "American Dream" as well as the positives and negatives of their immigration experience. Insightful stories were shared, and the panelists gained a much deeper understanding of the history and modern aspects of immigration.
1. Why did you or your family decide to immigrate to America and describe your experience and your adjustment?
2. How has the immigrant experience changed your identity and describe at what point you felt like an American.
3. Reflecting back on your experience, how would you suggest we attempt to change the immigrant experience?
4. Describe the distinction between first and second-generation immigrants.
Inspired by a previous resilience panel Youth Informed club members participated in, this panel was led by facilitator Lisa Hahn and organized by Let's Talk Democracy and Presidents Salma Baksh and Vilinez Estevez. Over 30 non-panelists tuned in and shared anecdotes of resilience in their lives. The consensus: keep pushing, look for small things that make you happy, and allow yourself moments of weakness before you get back on your feet.
1. What problems do you believe a different age group than you faces?
2. What misconceptions about your generation are held by another group?
3. How do economic, political, and social conditions affect your mental health?
The sixth in the inter-generational series hosted by Mark Laster of Third Vice Chair, Queens Community Board 6, this panel explores solidarity within the LGBTQ+ community. President Salma Baksh appeared as the facilitator, with President Vilinez Estevez and club member Vik Pepaj as panelists. Older panelists shared stories from the past: gay marriage in 2008, and marching during the AIDs epidemic. Younger panelists touched on contemporary internal issues within the community such as the refusal to change traditional beliefs on gender and sexuality and pronoun usage.
Share an instance of solidarity in your life, related or unrelated to the LGBTQ+ community. What does solidarity mean to you and why is it important?
What does solidarity look like within your generational community?
What are the most effective ways for the community and allies to work together to achieve positive outcomes?