YDEKC Updates
Save the Dates: Upcoming YDEKC Advocacy Events!
Meet our Policy Research Assistant, Hikma Sherka!
Hikma Sherka is our new point person for advocacy events through January 2018. She comes to us with experience serving on multiple youth boards and was recently appointed to the King County Children and Youth Advisory Board. Recently, we asked her to reflect on her journey as a youth advocate and changemaker.In 2016, I was interviewed by Brandi Kruse from Q13 Fox News for a series they were doing on American Muslims working to create change in their communities. My interview was shared on Facebook and went viral. I started to receive messages from people all over the world telling me how much my story inspired them.
I never thought my story was special. I was a 19-year-old girl hoping to do something good in my community. The messages that stood out to me most were from young people who wanted to do the same but did not feel like their voices were being heard.
The interview came out at a time I was feeling voiceless myself. I was almost always the only young person in a room full of adults making decisions that impacted the lives of young people. I felt small. But this interview made me feel heard.

Hikma Sherka, left, moderating the Keynote Conversation at YDEKC’s event Whole Child, Whole Day: A Social Emotional Learning Symposium.
To learn more, check out Hikma’s full response here and her full bio on our staff page! |