Pictured: PA City Council Member Pat Burt, Dr. Shashank V. Joshi, Dr. Steve Adelsheim, Dave Mineta, Irene Wong, Becky Beacom, and participating youth panelists.
Community Celebration Recap
All Ears on Youth Voice
We are still celebrating the energy and excitement from last week’s PACF Community Celebration. Thank you to everyone who joined us for an inspiring evening of connection, learning, and community.
Last Wednesday, more than 250 donors, nonprofit leaders, civic leaders, and community members gathered at Mitchell Park Community Center for PACF’s Community Celebration, an evening designed to create meaningful connections across people, nonprofits, and important community issues. Through music, conversation, and community, guests connected with neighbors and nonprofit partners while exploring what it means to grow up in our community today and what helps young people thrive.
We were honored to begin with a special performance from Harmony Ensemble, a talented youth ensemble that performs throughout the area. Their music set a festive tone and highlighted the creativity and promise of young people in our community. The evening continued with a thoughtful conversation on youth wellbeing conversation led by Dr. Shashank Joshi and an extraordinary panel of four young people representing a range of experiences and perspectives, including students from Mountain View High School, Palo Alto High School, Menlo School, and a recent Gunn High School graduate completing their first year of college. Together they explored an important question: What does it take to grow up in this area today?
Dr. Joshi also brought an important philosophy to life throughout the evening. Rather than speaking about young people, he modeled the practice of listening to them. Through a thoughtful panel, he created space for authentic youth voices and reminded us that if we want to understand what young people need, we need to ask and listen.
As students shared honest reflections about belonging, pressure, relationships, and what they wished adults better understood, the room fell completely silent. It was a powerful reminder of the impact and importance of youth voices, and what can happen when communities create space for young people to be heard.
Five Things We Heard from Young People
Kindness is cool
Small moments matter. Kindness, inclusion, and simple acts of care can shape a young person’s experience more than adults may realize.
Give young people a seat at the table
Youth want opportunities to contribute, participate, and have their perspectives heard and valued.
Belonging happens through relationships
Whether through schools, sports teams, arts programs, and community organizations, places here young people feel seen and connected matter deeply.
Allow room for failure and growth
Young people reminded us that learning often comes through mistakes. Adults can help by creating space to take risks, stumble, and grow.
Community matters
Supporting youth wellbeing belongs to all of us. Young people reminded us that simply showing up, checking in, listening, and demonstrating care can mean far more than adults may realize.
The evening also marked an exciting milestone with the launch of PACF’s first ever summer Community Campaign, an effort focused on supporting youth mental health and wellbeing. We challenged attendees to take action and rally around an issue that touches so many young people and families in our community, recognizing that this requires far more than funding alone.
This summer, PACF will continue creating opportunities for our community to learn, connect, and engage around youth wellbeing including several site visits and talks. The energy in the room made one thing clear: this conversation resonated, and we are just getting started.
Read more about the Community Campaign.
