This week Expressions went Live with Kayla Austin. Kayla is a teen activist who is using her voice to change the world. She currently attends boarding school in Michigan but is from Bolingbrook Illinois. We were excited to talk with Kayla and here’s what she had to say:
How did you first decide you wanted to be an activist?
When Kayla was 12 years old she participated in a program called ACT-SO, a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. During this program you are connected with a group, you choose a world problem and then find a solution. Her group’s challenge was gun violence, specifically with kids. She came up with an invention which is a gun safety device tied to an app. She couldn’t speak more about the app due to a pending patent.
Why was gun violence in the home an issue you chose to tackle?
Most situations with gun violence dealing with young people ages 0-19 occur with guns that belong to their parents. Kids grab them when parents aren’t looking and this leads to potential self-harm. So Kayla and her team wanted to create an invention that deals with this issue.
What drives you to do what you’re doing?
What drives Kayla is that every little thing contributes to a bigger picture. Sometimes it seems like doing small things doesn’t make a difference but in reality, it does. And she really goes by the quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”.
What advice do you have for teens on building a community of influencers?
What Kayla has done, is follow other youth activists across social media. Especially during a time like this as there is some much going on. You want to engage people that have a passion for the same things that you do, that way you can support each other. This will help you gather support when you are trying to organize a protest for change, or promoting events that you are holding.
What advice do you have for teens when it comes to protesting peacefully?
The first protest that Kayla went to was the Chicago protest in early June regarding the death of George Floyd. Attending the protest gave her hope and really lifted her spirits, she felt empowered by seeing all of the people that want change. It inspired her to organize a protest in her hometown of Romeoville. Teens need to use their voice and know that they can lead change.
We thank Kayla for joining us and sharing her journey on being an activist. You can follow her on YouTube and her Instagram at @Kayrox. Make sure to Tune in next week for our next IG Live interview!