Yo! Youth OutLook

Editor’s Note: Recently, the city of Richmond has been the center of a media frenzy following the brutal gang rape of a teenage Richmond resident. But, in spite of the doom and gloom, young people are determined to make Richmond a better place. Recently, Mo Project held a day-long event to empower Richmond youth to take ownership of health and wellness issues in their community, schools, and neighborhoods. 

Long after the daunting spotlight on Richmond, dies down, young folks will still be struggling with the little things, like where to find fresh vegetables in the wintertime.

Can Fit’s Mo Project is trying to help young people in Richmond live healthier safer lifestyles. The Mo Project is a youth made media initiative aimed at showcasing the everyday challenges young people face when trying to improve their health .

Last week, the Mo Project held a one-day media training workshop to educate young people on food equity issues and to become advocates for healthy living.

The Mo Project event invigorated young people, aged 13 to 18, from all across Richmond. In the aftermath of the Richmond rape incident, it was empowering to see so many young people come together to create solutions to Richmond’s problems, rather than just passively accept them.  Richmond may have problems, but that doesn’t mean everything about the city and its residents are abysmal.

At the daylong workshop, young people learned how to make smarter food choices at home and in their community. They also learned how to be advocates for preserving the parks in Richmond.

I was amazed at the level of engagement among young people in attendance. Regardless of age, color, and ethnic background, these youth were eager to connect and converse over health issues.  Watching  young people debate over how un-supervised, un-maintained parks could increase neighborhood crime, I saw the light in the eyes and hearts of these strong-willed young folks.


I realized that these types of community gatherings  are exactly what Richmond needs to uplift the city’s spirit. By taking an active stance on how to improve health and wellness conditions in Richmond, these young folks were contributing more to the community of Richmond than all the commentators’ and experts who weigh in their "analysis" on Richmond's issues.

More events like Mo Project's roundtable-style dialogues on health are needed to shake Richmond residents out of their complacency and make them more engaged in the community . Who better to jump-start this effort than Richmond’s spirited youth?

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