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¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ Youth Reporting Institute’s A Voice at the Table is an hour-long special featuring reporting from this year's youth reporting institute. On December 5th at 9pm, we invite you to take a seat as we amplify and share stories from our 2023 youth reporting cohort.

This year, ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøվ’s Youth Reporting Institute, launched our first advanced cohort. Our goal was to hone in on the journalistic skills alumni developed in earlier iterations of the youth reporting institute. Inviting 8 alumni back to the institute allowed us to foster more interaction and opportunities for learning between ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ Staff and our youth reporters. Along with shadowing various departments, youth reporters produced a diverse array of stories. Their topics ranged from the history of the Durham Black Sox and the Winston-Salem chapter of the Black Panther Party to the lasting impact of Hurricane Florence on rural communities.

For this summer’s Youth Reporting Institute, reporter Nassibah Bedreddine took a look at how intolerance has facilitated not only cultural assimilation but also cultural loss. She dug into her Algerian family’s history and documented how they are working to preserve their culture.

¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ Youth Reporter Avery Patterson sets out on a quest to understand why her neighborhood is predominately white. In the process, she uncovers a history of housing segregation in Durham and talks to her neighbors about inclusivity.

Belews Creek Steam Station is a two-unit coal and natural gas plant located on Belews Lake in Stokes County, N.C.¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ Youth Reporter Claire Haile highlights community activists who have found unique ways to work as environmental advocates.

In North Carolina, within the past year, people in some local districts are pushing to remove books from schools that focus on gender identity and racially sensitive subjects. This summer, ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ Youth Reporter William Townsend talked to teens in the Triangle who were directly impacted and spoke out against book bans in their communities.

For this summer’s ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ Youth Reporting Institute, participants were tasked with telling stories from their communities. Reporter Parys Smith spoke with medical professionals and the women in her family about the experience of Black women in the healthcare system.

In 2020, a group of young people founded the Wake County Black Student Coalition. But two years later, organizers say it's harder to recruit and retain students to assemble around issues of social justice. ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ youth reporter Christopher Williams highlights the challenges of leading a lasting movement.

This summer, Jeanine Ikekhua reflected on how the physical distance from her community impacted her mental health, pre- and post- quarantine.

The festival took place at Lincoln Theatre on July 2, 2022.