"Sometimes doing the right thing means speaking up, even when it's hard."
That's what 12-year-old Jade Lee said she learned from her experience winning an essay contest called "Do the Write Thing," an initiative through the National Campaign to Stop Violence.
"This program is an opportunity for us to really elevate student voices and amplify what our young people are saying and recognize them as the experts of their communities," said Robin Koelsch, Chief Partnership Engagement Officer for Communities in Schools, which co-sponsors the program in Chicago.
She said the program allows adults to be the listeners so that they can get a better idea of where young people are at and more effectively address youth violence.
Koelsch said Jade's essay was chosen among more than 800 submitted by Chicago Public Schools students.
"It resonated with all of us," she said. "It had emotional connection. It told a beautiful story. It outlined what solutions could be. It outlined, really, what her experience is."
And for Jade, the win came as a surprise.
"I was very shocked," she said. "I was surprised because I didn't really think I would win."
Jade is about to be an eighth grader at Roseland's CICS Prairie. In her free time she runs a lemonade stand with her sister and together, she said, they advocate for other students who may not have a voice. So, it's fitting that she won a contest that asks young people to imagine a better world for others.
Her essay sheds light on the ways Chicago youth are forced to navigate violence from an early age. She tells this story through the eyes of a girl name Samara, whose experiences are not so different from Jade's own.
"It was based off how it is," she said. "Flickering street lights or you outside alone. People don't want to come outside because people are scared. They're fighting to come outside because they don't know what can happen in any minute, any second, any hour, any day, any time."
Jade said her generation is exposed to violence earlier. Kids her age are more mature these days, but opportunities like career programs and violence prevention efforts aren't available to them until high school, she said.
"Violence and crime is available to every age," she said. "That's why I kind of feel like it's kind of late. I feel like they can do some programs at middle school."
She said getting people to think about solutions to youth violence like these was one of her goals with the essay. It was important for her to use her voice to speak up for others who don't have a voice or the confidence, she said.
"I believe that when young people feel heard, safe and supported, they make better choices" she said. "Chicago has so many amazing kids with big dreams. They just need someone to believe in them and to protect them."
Earlier this month, Jade went to the national "Do the Write Thing Summit" in Washington, D.C., where he she spoke with legislators from Senator Tammy Duckworth's Office.
She also had her essay put in the Library of Congress.
"I'm very proud of myself," she said. "I'm just so happy that I got to go and represent Chicago. I'm very inspired."
And she said she hopes to pass that inspiration to others who read her essay.
"I hope they're inspired by my story, especially the youth," she said. "You have a voice, you have a choice and you matter. Doing the right thing might not always be easy, but it's always worth it."
You can read Jade's winning essay here.