The skills I have learned in journalism have assisted me in my advocacy work and my advocacy work allows me to use journalism to spread the word about events and opportunities. Really, the two go hand in hand.
Something I have learned in my sixteen years on this earth is that there is a difference between a career and a purpose. Your career may align with your purpose, but that’s not always true. While I am proud of my work as a student journalist and pursue a career in law and business (while carrying and incorporating journalistic knowledge), my purpose and passion will always be to help others. To help those who are underrepresented. To help the people who need it most but don’t know where to start.
As a youth advocate — and youth myself — I have gained various experiences that have contributed to my well-roundedness:
Advocacy Work
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Reach for Youth’s Teen Court – Juror
Teen Court is a youth led court which provides the opportunity to youth who committed a crime to perform a restorative justice activity (as decided by the youth jurors) which would expunge the incident off of the student’s record. This is effective in stopping the cycle of the school to prison pipeline.
Marion County Prosecutor’s Office – Youth Violence Prevention Fellow
In the summer of 2022 I participated in the MCPO’s Youth Violence Prevention Fellowship. Here I gained knowledge about how our legal system interacts with our community. We advised the Prosecutor and left the program with a call to action to continue serving our communities with what we have gained.
Marion County Prosecutor’s Office – Youth Programming Committee Member
Even after the Fellowship with the MCPO concluded, I still wanted to work with them. The Youth Programming Committee is an opportunity for youth previously part of the Prevention Fellowship to continue having those conversations about changes to make and then following the plans up with action. I have been a part of this group for two years now.
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Marion County Youth Violence Prevention Coalition – Youth Member
The MCYVPC was founded in 2015 and is the collaborative efforts of multiple organizations which together help some of the most vulnerable communities in the Indianapolis area. I originally joined as a Crisis Response Task Force Member but am now a member of the Youth Task Force.
Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council – Member
The City of Indianapolis’ Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council is an exclusive team of youth around the city who work together for a year on a project of choice to better our community. Our group is focused on gun violence prevention and are planning an event for the summer that will provide resources and engaging conversations.
Students Demand Action – North Central HS Chapter Founder/Group Leader; National Training Team Member
In 2022, I started a Students Demand Action chapter at my high school and have been leading it since. I have also been promoted to the National Training Team, where I onboard and train new team leaders that opened chapters across the country. We have meetings after school for our chapter and attend Advocacy Days at the Statehouse and I speak at various events in my capacity as a Students Demand Action leader.
Students Demand Action
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Teach-Ins and Panels
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Students should never feel discouraged to advocate for what they believe in. It’s always noble to stand up for what’s right and for the underrepresented.”
– Salsabil Qaddoura
We’re building a supportive and uplifting movement to end the terrifying reality of gun violence shattering a community, a home, a family, into pieces.
– Salsabil Qaddoura
SALSABIL QADDOURA 