Advocacy

THE BRITE BLOG

We share the voices, opinions and stories of many Ventura County youth and young adults here. Not all posts reflect the opinion of BRITE or our sponsors. Managed by Ashley Heatherly.

Leadership vs. Power

A high school student discusses the difference between good leadership and just exercising power over others.

Jason Gray

Jun 181 min read

A group of young kids is sitting together, each holding and looking at a smartphone. The quote below the photo reads, "Parents, educators, and community leaders should engage young people in discussions about the realities of substance use, helping them to identify and question the messages they consume."

Popular Culture and Substance Use

A college student discusses the ways in which pop culture such as TV, movies, and social media portray substance use and the negative influence it can have on youth and young people.

Janette

Apr 292 min read

We see a row of off-white bathroom stalls with most of the doors open. It feels reminiscent of being in a school bathroom.

Can You See Me?

A poem by a Ventura County high school student about prejudice and how we often ignore the people around us who may be struggling.

Lucy

Sep 3, 20241 min read

A hand is outreached with its palm turned up as if it's receiving something, while another hand is holding a red heart as if it's offering the heart to the other hand.

The Ending Of Hatred

A poem written by a high school student about leading with love instead of hatred.

Lucy

Aug 11, 20241 min read

A young person of color is wearing a green graduation cap, a white top, and is looking up at the sky and smiling.

Life Goals

A poem about how important it is to achieve our goals.

Anonymous

May 28, 20241 min read

A black and white image of a pair of hands tightly grasping the bars of a prison cell.

Help for the Chained Hands, Minds, and Hearts

A high school student discusses the harms of incarceration and why we need more mental health support instead of prisons.

Lucy

Mar 14, 20242 min read

TRANScend Youth Feature: Ask a Trans Kid

A post from TRANScend Youth's "Ask A Trans Kid" series featuring questions to trans youth about the trans experience. This post is about they/them pronouns.

Anonymous

Oct 11, 20234 min read