Story Tapestries artists supported the first Youth Democracy Fest organized by The Civic Circle and held on March 1, 2025.

Check out the story!

The Civic Circle kicked off Civic Learning Week with a Youth Democracy Fest to lift youth voices, and celebrate the seven “steps to democracy” at the heart of our program. Students from Middle and High Schools in our community shared their original songs and poems about democracy, kindness, helping others, protecting the earth, and being true to yourself, created with the help of artists from Story Tapestries.

We also heard a PSA about voting by Action Youth Media students, and youth from Carpe Diem Arts sang and played ukes on a series of uplifting civic songs. Artists Regie Cabico, Emma G, Lilo Gonzalez, Uasuf Gueye, Munit Mesfin and Downwire treated us to their own original democracy songs and poems, and poet and emcee Malachi Byrd brought us all together with a collective, audience-written poem titled “How I Will Defend Democracy.” It read, in part:

Build community wherever I go
And help my neighbor
No matter their race or creed
Speak up speak loud be strong be proud
No one should say your voice is not allowed

The Civic Circle thanks the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center for the venue and technical support, and the generous sponsors who made the first Youth Democracy Fest possible: Montgomery County, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Newburger-Schwartz Family Foundation.