On stage, two rows of high schoolers faced each other—an intentional split that mirrored the day’s big question: Has social media made us more connected or more polarized?
Their answers showed real nuance. “We’re more connected, but in a superficial way,” one student said. “Not in a unifying way.” Another shared that heavy scrolling “drains my social battery,” making in-person connections harder.
These insights came from a districtwide roundtable convened by Steve Ingram of Stanton College Preparatory School. Four times a year, Ingram brings together students from area high schools to wrestle with issues that shape their lives—social media, bullying, environmental concerns, and more.
Students design the questions, lead table conversations, and select spokespeople to report out, strengthening agency, empathy, and public voice. On this day, 600 students from Stanton, Wolfson, Atlantic Coast, Ribault, Terry Parker, and A. Philip Randolph gave voice to how social media has impacted their ability to connect online and in person.
“As they engage,” Ingram notes, “students build awareness of what’s happening locally, statewide, nationally, and globally.”
Through his Wolfburg Fellowship at JPEF, he expanded the model to pair high school leaders with elementary students, guiding younger peers in research and dialogue—an authentic exercise in mentorship and civic skill-building.
That momentum helped launch JPEF’s Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) with support from the Wolfburg Fund for Social Justice and Brian and Jake Wolfburg. In YPAR, teens complete 15 hours of training and technical support to survey classmates, analyze findings, and present recommendations on urgent social topics.
The result: young people aren’t just being heard—they’re shaping solutions.
How We Scale Impact: Project One Health JAX
To make these student-led insights stick beyond a single event, JPEF, serving on the Project One Health JAX Advisory Council alongside DCPS, is helping build healthier communities and stronger youth connections to nature and one another, led by the Winston Family Foundation.
- The Advisory Council convenes regional leaders across sectors to:
- Remove systemic barriers that limit youth well-being and belonging.
- Inform and develop policies that support the One Health approach—linking people, place, and the natural environment.
- Provide strategic guidance and advocacy so promising school- and neighborhood-level ideas can scale.
- Champion children and adolescents through initiatives that connect learning with healthy outdoor spaces.
Neighborhood initiatives inform the Council’s agenda, and the Council’s policy and systems changes reinforce those local efforts—creating a self-sustaining cycle of positive change for Jacksonville’s youth.
Be the Bridge
Student voice can transform school culture—and our city. Your support helps JPEF expand and amplify the youth voice, so more students thrive in healthy, connected neighborhoods.
Be the Bridge for student voice and youth well-being.
