All-ages Movement Project

Where do teenagers learn democratic values and recognize their own power to effect change on a civic level?  According to All-ages Movement Project founder Shannon Stewart, one major avenue is involvement in youth-run music and cultural spaces.  Writing about the role of these spaces in fostering democratic culture and youth leadership development, she describes places where young people creatively express themselves, independently produce shows, records, and publications, learn democratic practices, make values based decisions, gain access to resources usually outside their reach, build networks with social and political capital, and grow into innovative leaders."