Introducing the State of the Young Black Advocate Study
Written by Desiree’ Amboree
It has been an amazing journey working with Better to Speak for the last 7 months. If this is your first time meeting me, Hello! My name is Desiree’, I use she/her pronouns and I have been the Development Coordinator for Better to Speak for the last few months. We have been striving diligently to refine our systems, dig deeply into our Better to Speak bag and curate an intentional digital media space that reflects and amplifies our voices.
State of the Young Black Advocate Study
That brings us to the State of the Young Black Advocate Study.
This study explores young Black folks’ perceptions of the way the Black community is represented in the media. Our goal is to understand– the media (how do representations of Blackness and Black community impact young Black people), Black youth (what do those representations make you feel or conjure up for you), and you– (what issues matter most to you).
We will do this with a brief survey measuring various aspects of your relationship with different forms of media, 60 to 90-minute focus group discussions, and 1:1 interviews. Each of these methods will be completely voluntary.
Your story, your voice
We are all about creating change. Better to Speak has a demonstrated legacy of nurturing impact in the community. The State of the Young Black Advocate study is meant to inform, impassion, and mobilize.
The responses will be used to take back the narrative. Our objectives are to:
Publish a zine/whitepaper including the survey results, essays, etc. from Black youth and young adults
Empower participants to take action in their communities and connect to the people, organizations, and resources to do so in the long-term
Grow Better to Speak’s base and membership of young Black storytellers and changemakers, as well as its community of peers and partners
Get Involved
To participate in the study you must:
Be a Black person/of based in the U.S. or internationally,
Be between 18-30 years old,
Be willing to complete a 15-20 minute survey,
BONUS: Be able to participate in 60-90 minute focus group, and/or be interested in completing a 1:1 interview.
If the study is not for you, there are so many other ways to be involved. Tell a friend to tell a friend, like, post, comment, and reshare on social media, or engage with some of our other content.
If you have further questions or concerns, reach out to Desiree’ at desiree@bettertospeak.org.
