In August of 2025, WCHS junior Eden Shaw founded the organization Speak2Youth Advocacy, with the purpose of developing and improving the communication, advocacy skills and confidence of children worldwide. The organization provides presentations and activities for elementary and middle school-aged children to develop confidence and self-advocacy skills.
“Our target audience is broader than most organizations, ranging from kindergarten to eighth-grade,” Eden Shaw said. “We have several presentations catered to specific age groups and a variety of workshops focusing on different skills per age group. For instance, one of our middle school workshops focuses on career exploration and developing professional skills, while another focuses on increasing confidence and the importance of using confident body language when speaking with employers, teachers and peers.”
The Speak2Youth team is very careful with the children they work with, ensuring they are comfortable and learning as best as they can. Presentations are carefully planned and discussed every month by the team, and the material taught can be adjusted accordingly during lessons to ensure the level of difficulty and enjoyment is right for the students. They take extra care in those who are particularly struggling with the topic they are teaching or have trouble focusing.
“The Speak2Youth team is very attentive and appreciative towards the fact that the kids we are addressing may have a lower attention span, or need a little extra help comprehending the topic,” Speak2Youth Finance Director Sera Shaw said. “When working with kids who present as especially rowdy or shy, we utilize the adult in the room that the child is comfortable with and let them address the problem. Another strategy is ice breakers and introducing ourselves in a friendly way. This sets the pace for a comfortable and light environment for the kids, which creates a higher chance of an effective workshop.”
The completely student-led organization has impacted and educated hundreds of elementary school students all over the country, as well as around the world in countries like Portugal, Pakistan and beyond. Collaborating with volunteers internationally in such a short amount of time was a monumental achievement, and has allowed Speak2Youth Advocacy to increase their outreach to hundreds more students.
“When I founded Speak2Youth Advocacy, I was not anticipating going international, nor expanding to the extent it has,” Eden Shaw said. “My goal was to create meaningful change locally, and see how the organization develops naturally over time. Our social media presence is the main factor that led to rapid growth. Our Instagram page, Speak2Youth_hq amassed 60,000+ profile views, and applications from around the world began rolling in. I am thrilled with how large the organization has gotten, and feel so thankful to all of the volunteers who dedicate their time to our cause.”
Speak2Youth Advocacy has a lot planned for the coming year and is determined to continue expanding their outreach to more parts of the world. The Speak2Youth team has poured countless hours into ensuring that they can reach their goal of empowering as much of the youth as possible.
“We hope to continue to reach as many kids as possible and further expand internationally,” Sera Shaw said. “As the finance director and secretary of the national board, I hope to organize an effective bake sale to raise money for the organization! In order to effectively do this, working with the PR team and the rest of the financial department is imperative but will hopefully be accomplished soon. Reaching as many children as possible is also a huge goal for 2026, and simply scheduling as many presentations as possible.”
Speak2Youth Advocacy operates in 14 different places in the world and over 300 kids have been impacted by the organization’s work, listening to presentations and participating in activities designed for them to strengthen their voices.
“I am so proud of our worldwide impact,” Sera Shaw said. “The growth feels so huge, but for the most part it has been staying focused on the task. During our meetings, we strategize and try to make work as efficient yet effective as possible – the growth we are seeing because of these organized tactics enables Speak2Youth to reach so many kids because so many teens are involved! Expansion and reaching as many kids and families as possible will always be the goal.”
