GREEN & GROWING SPEAKER Youth Bring Peace to the Neighborhood Soleil Harvey has served as Youth Council President for 3 years
S
oleil Harvey saw things she didn’t like in the neighborhood, so she set out to make change. In 2020, she was a founding member and president of the Amani Youth Council. “Our Council is all about bringing greater peace to our neighborhood,” said Harvey. “Not only are we about peace, but we are also uniting youth from all neighborhoods and positively changing the way elders think about the new generation.” The Amani Youth Council was in- spired by the REAL-ationships and REAL-leadership groups held in Moody Park, which allowed youth to engage with law enforcement, discuss and learn about issues they face, and build community amongst themselves. Nineteen youth from Amani graduat- ed the 6-week program and Harvey
was among the graduates. Her work, along with a personal connection to violence in her neighborhood, pushed her to lead the Council and plan the March. “I feel that everything happens for a reason, and I think because my brother has been shot, that pushed me even more to change my commu- nity because I have personal issues with violence,” said Harvey. “I love my neighborhood. I have lived in Amani almost my whole life, and this is where I am going to be. (The Council) is what I want to do, because it’s better to start early if you want to make a change.” Harvey is a senior at Bay View High School, and she will be graduating in the weeks to come. She’s been ac- cepted into Jackson State University where she will attend in the fall. Soleil is the first in her family in 2 genera- tions to attend a 4-year college.
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