Gillian Johnson - Why Do You Support Riley's Way Video Testimonials

Speaker: Gillian Johnson

Gillian Johnson: Hi, my name is Gillian Johnson and I'm one of this year's Call For Kindness Fellows for the Riley's Way Foundation, and I was a past participant in the 2021 Leadership Retreats. Um, I support Riley's Way because as a youth leader and someone who's really passionate about social justice and reform and using community impact and power to sort of make change. I see Riley's way as a method and an organization who truly promotes that. And what I mean by that is Riley's Way is innovative in that it's one of the only organizations that really has outlets and, you know, stretches into every field where youth leaders are active in in every community, where they can help support the youth of our generation in their change making endeavors. And additionally, too, I think they really combine the wonderful, you know, experience and wisdom of multigenerations and, you know, older changemakers and leaders already within their, you know, designated field with those who are interested, passionate, or questioning how they can make an impact and how they can use their own resources and their own knowledge with those already existing and those already growing to, you know, empower and make something better than, um, than before. And so I love Riley's Way for this reason, and for inspiring me every day with the wonderful faces and people I meet through Riley's Way, in helping, you know, contribute to their overall message of kindness among leadership, and specifically, you know, being aware of how you can make a difference within your community and how, you know, coming from different perspectives and age ranges, we can all contribute to the overall goal of kindness and building a kinder tomorrow. Thank you.

Gillian Johnson: I'm proud to support Riley's Way because I think they're truly unique and they truly live of their message promoting social justice organizationally within their leadership and specifically within, you know, creating methods and ways for those that they serve, meaning you know youth and leaders, to really be involved within their own mission and within their own organization and to help contribute, you know, on the leadership boards and to retreat, planning and towards, you know, designing the ways that Riley's Way will direct their efforts. I think that's truly one of the ways that as a, you know, nonprofit organization or as, you know, an organization aiming to help support young leaders, I think it's truly essential that, you know, everyone who, you know, who they claim to serve is involved on those decisions and, you know, how the services are run and how Riley's Way operates. So I think that's truly unique and something that should be replicated in other nonprofit organizations, especially within those that are aiming to include youth voices, and I think Riley's way does that best.