The Design Lounge hosted by Student Voice and made possible by Dell & Intel, was a huge success! The gathering of many student-led and student-serving initiatives that engaged in casual salon-style conversations, lead to a night of much collaboration, connections and calls to action! Check out this link for pictures from the event and the brief reflection below, with thought-provoking questions for your consideration.

1. STUDENT VOICE – THE 10.10.13 DESIGN LOUNGE
Dear Colleagues:
This past Thursday, October 10th, I was absent from class because of a business trip to New York City. As the Director of
Community Engagement with Student Voice, I helped co-host a special event with DELL, which gathered many studentserving and student-led organizations to discuss how we can furthercollaborate and maximize our collective impact. Too
often, we find many initiatives making great change but are operating in silos, with little collaboration with like-minded
organizations.
During this time, I had the opportunity to meet leaders of all ages, experiences, and leadership endeavors. Grassroots
organizations such asForward Tutoring, the newly formed GenYNot (definitely check this group out!) to the National
School Climate Center were all represented at this collaborative networking-like atmosphere, to foster new connections.
Some highlights that I would like to share with you:
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An idea, no matter how small, can truly make a difference. ‘Do what you love!’ was a common phrase articulated
throughout the evening.
A focus on populations who are marginalized or discriminated against were represented; a big push on addressing
education inequity, especially for girls who happen to be young, was prominent.
Education is not just about academics! Let us focus on the whole child, nurturing growth in areas such as ones’
emotional and social competence.
Service Learning has received much attention, but there are various levels of quality that can be implemented. From
one end of the continuum is ‘adult-directed service-learning’ while on the opposite end is ‘student-lead and facilitated
service learning.’
Questions that I would love to discuss about through this WebTalk Forum:
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There are various terminologies that hint at the word ‘youth voice’ – would you say that it is on a continuum, coupled
with leadership, engagement, contribution, advocacy and participation?
How do focus our energies on creating educational awareness through mediums that attract the attention of youth?
How do we ignite a passion for ‘get up, get active’ and engage within the community? (*Note, I do not believe we should
‘volunteer to give backthe community,’ rather, ‘let us just be part of the community!’)
I am eager to hear your thoughts and reflections.
Clement Coulston
This is a picture, with the Bulgarian
Youth Delegates (the two individuals
next to me) to the United Nations; they
represent the United Nations
Association of Bulgaria. The two
individuals at the far right of the picture
are Keaton Wadzinski (Director of
Campaigns for Student Voice) and
Shannah Reagan, a Student Voice
Activist.