OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — For Torrian Coats, advocacy started before she even had a name for it. While attending Skyline High School, she experienced lockdowns, shootings and other acts of violence on campus. Those situations motivated her to look for ways to make a difference in her community.<\/p>\n
That led her to Youth Alive!’s Teens on Target program, a youth violence prevention group that gives Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) high school students a space to talk about violence in their communities, share their experiences and develop their leadership skills.<\/p>\n
“In high school, when I joined Teens on Target, and I fell in love with doing more advocacy,” Coats said. “I realized, oh, I’ve been doing this for a while… I want to keep doing this. And that’s how I’m here today.”<\/p>\n
Her advocacy has extended beyond the classroom and into the broader community. Coats has traveled to the California State Capitol to advocate for issues affecting young people and has participated in advocacy efforts with Moms Demand Action, bringing her perspective as a young person impacted by community violence to the conversation.<\/p>\n
Through Teens on Target (TNT), she has grown from a high school freshman into a youth advocate who now helps engage and mentor other young people.<\/p>\n
MaryAnn Alvarado, Youth Program Manager for Teens on Target, said Torrian has become an example for other students who are still finding their own voices.<\/p>\n
“Torri is an important part of Youth Alive! and TNT,” Alvarado said. “She is showing other youth that they, too, can come out of their shell and find their voice.”<\/p>\n
For Torrian, the work has become more than just an extracurricular activity. Her experiences with Teens on Target helped shape her plans for the future, even prompting her to change her college major from business and marketing to political science.<\/p>\n
“I just like to help my community out… any way I can,” Coats said.<\/p>\n
As she prepares for the next chapter of her life at Sacramento State, she hopes to continue building a career around advocacy and community impact.<\/p>\n
Her message to other young people is simple, “Don’t let anyone tell you ‘you can’t do it’ or ‘you’re too young to be advocating’. Keep going no matter what, don’t stop.”<\/p>\n
For more information, visit Youth Alive!<\/a> or follow @tntoakland @yaoakland on Instagram.<\/p>\n