Freedom is...

On Tuesday, March 24th, 87 young people from across Calhoun County spent the day exploring leadership, organizing, and what it means to build change together. They learned the Social Change Ecosystem framework. They practiced proactive and responsive action. They defined freedom for themselves.

At the end of the day, students gathered in a circle for one final activity. Facilitator Destiné Price invited them to create a collective poem. Each person had 15 seconds to write one line answering the question: What is freedom?

This is what they wrote.

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Freedom is me.

Freedom is being free.

Freedom is letting your oil wonder free.

Freedom is being me. 

Freedom is autonomy. 

Freedom is all of us. 

Freedom is powerful. 

Freedom is equality. 

Freedom is being able to be yourself. 

Freedom is being present. 

Freedom is the power to shape our own lives. 

Freedom is being yourself around others. 

Freedom is having a choice. 

Freedom is who you want to be. 

Freedom is like the birds chirping in the morning. 

Freedom is decided by you and what you're willing to give.

Freedom is the will to do what you please

Freedom is staying true to yourself. 

Freedom is doing what I want. 

Freedom is living how I want.

Freedom is powerful. 

Freedom is the ability to act. 

Freedom is love & warmth. 

Freedom is a beautiful thing. 

Freedom is a forever receding dream.

Freedom is being what you want.

Freedom is in the community. 

Freedom is the power to speak up. 

Freedom is peace. 

Freedom is making decisions for yourself. 

Freedom is access to opportunities and choices. 

Freedom is a natural human right.  

Freedom is the wings of a soul uncaged. 

Freedom is the ability to choose what we believe in. 

Freedom is the wind in my hair with love. 

Freedom is being able to acknowledge your power.

Freedom is able to move on. 

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Thank you to the 87 students and 26 adults who showed up for this day. Thank you to the WK Kellogg Foundation for hosting us. Thank you to our volunteers, planning committee, and community partners who made this possible.

And thank you to Destiné Price-Willis for facilitating a day that gave young people space to explore, connect, and imagine what's possible. Destiné is the Executive Director of Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative in Kalamazoo, Michigan - a brave space for youth ages 13-21 to exist as their most authentic selves. Learn more at @kzoofire or on Facebook.

The work continues.