How to write for Youth Be Heard

By Renee Childs

The world can always use more honesty, humor, and creativity. No one can express it exactly like you.

1. Just write. Write terribly. Everyone’s writing is bad at first. Just get it out there. Then give yourself a high-five (it’s strangely like clapping).
2. Think about the purpose your writing offers to someone else. For it to be publishable, make sure it adds value to the reader through informing (with your perspective, insights, or research), inspiring, or entertaining (such as through funny or suspenseful stories). Develop your writing further with this goal in mind.
3. Go back over and give it some edits. Make it flow. Take a step back and look at it again in a few hours. Read over it several times until you feel good about it. Then, read it out loud. Yes, you will hear your voice. You will be ok. 
4. Run it through a free spell-check/ basic grammar editor. We really like the free Hemingway App but Google docs, Microsoft Word, and Grammarly are good options, too.
5. Find the Youth Be Heard submission form here!
6. VERY IMPORTANT:  The world can always use more truth. More honesty. More humor. More creativity. And definitely more youth opinions. You’re needed out here. We are our own worst critics. Don’t sell yourself short and say what you have isn’t good enough. It is better to submit work and not have it published than to never have sent your work in at all.
7. We will find an image to illuminate your writing. But, if you have a photo that you’ve taken or art you’ve created that you would like to use, send it to us in an email: submissions@youthbeheard.org.
8. Ta-da! Celebrate yourself for being brave and sharing your voice. We need a diversity of voices and experiences shared in our world to make it a better place. And that’s what you just did. We will get back to you with a response and possible edits within a month.
9. Not every piece is published, but we will do our best to provide feedback and encouragement. Either way, keep sending your work. You improve every time you write!

Some topic ideas:

• Is there an issue you’re passionate about and have some unique knowledge about? Educate us.
• How has social media impacted your life?
• What do you think about a current political issue (from a youth perspective)?
• What do you wish adults understood? How would you handle it if you were in their position?
• Write down all the compliments you’ve ever received… then make a poem about it.
• Describe your school lunch scene in the utmost detail… like 500 words worth. Think of the smell, how you feel, what the unspoken rules are… and of course the food.
• How have your friendships changed through school?
• If you have a job- what’s it like? What can you tell other youth that will help them in their career choices?
• Simply tell us your story. You can make it anonymous by changing the names of people. We will edit each piece to ensure it doesn’t share location information.
• What is a challenge you experienced? How did you overcome it?

Happy writing!

Want more writing inspiration? Check out or guide: Prompts and Inspiration for the Growing Writer!