Rowan Santos

Rowan Santos attends high school in Auburn, Washington. 

One project I’m interested in exploring is incorporating advocacy and social justice with arts involvement with youth. An idea I’ve formed is Storytelling for Change, where youth can share their stories and pursue advocacy through art mediums such as film, illustration, music, dance, literature, photography, etc.

An achievable goal I have is to increase youth advocacy and voices in the arts. No matter what project I pursue, my goal is to ignite positive social change and inspire youth to advocate against social issues and make change in their communities. Whether through the arts, film or another subject, I hope to pursue impact and share the stories of youth. I want their stories to be heard, be more visible and inspire future generations to be future change makers.

I want to lay a foundation for my project that I can expand on. This can be achieved by creating a platform through social media.

When I was younger, I always sought out representations of stories I resonated with. I hoped to establish a sense of belonging with stories that showed diverse characters with my identity. Whether it was representation of Filipino children or young people who are nonbinary or transgender, there was nothing that represented my identity. This led me to think that my identity was wrong, different and invalid. It made me want to be ‘normal’ and forced me to hide. This dynamic is prevalent among numerous underrepresented children, as they often feel forced to conceal their identity. This is why it’s so important to have our stories told in order to be more diverse and inclusive. Everyone should feel safe, included and represented in the stories they consume.

I envision myself pursuing this issue by developing a youth-led platform or campaign where teens and youth can share their stories through art. This will encourage teens to pursue advocacy while also expressing their artistic passions. I hope to partner with already established non-profit organizations, such as Teentix, Seattle Repertory Theaters, Northwest Film forum, etc to amplify my audience. These organizations I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with and all the mentors I’ve learned from.