On today’s show, guest host Sabrina Madison speaks with two local leaders, Justice Castañeda and Rosa Thompson, about an issue that many folks overlook: the lack of teen-centered spaces in Dane County, especially for Black youth. They talk about what would be possible if youth were centered in the design and programming of public spaces. Because we close schools during the summer and community centers don’t stay open late, youth don’t have many places to go. What they need are spaces where they feel safe, that have robust programming, mentorship, and care for teens and their families. 

For Thompson, many youth spaces fail to serve the youth they have in mind because they don’t bring in youth and their families to co-create the spaces from the ground up. She says that youth want to be involved in the design of programs and centers so that they can feel ownership over them and want to take part.

Unfortunately many public spaces–like malls and schools–are places where Black youth are policed. They discuss how Black youth are overrepresented in arrests, citations, and juvenile court referrals. When Black and brown youth leave their neighborhoods, they’re at an increased risk of police interaction, says Castañeda. 

In Madison, youth of color live in “peripheralized enclaves of housing” which are far from their schools and from economic centers where they might go for recreation and work. A healthy neighborhood is a nascent organization, where people co-create their space, and supervise each other, says Castañeda. He proposes that more planning teams take into consideration the demographics of Madison’s public schools when making decisions about what the city needs.

Rosa Thompson is the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Magic Educational Services. Rosa is a proud product of Madison’s public schools and a graduate of Clark Atlanta University. She also earned her master’s at UW–Madison. Back in 2017, she co-created the Black Girl Magic Conference to celebrate Black girls across the county and bring them together to learn from each other. Through her work, Rosa’s created powerful spaces where Black girls can feel seen, be supported, and connect with Black women leaders in our community—all through programs rooted in identity, creativity, and joy.

Justice Castañeda is a Madison native and Executive Director of CommonWealth Development. Justice is a Marine Corps veteran, an educator, and a community development leader whose work focuses on the deep connections between housing, economic opportunity, and community violence—especially how those things impact young people who’ve experienced trauma. He earned his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from UW–Madison, and his research is all about making our neighborhoods healthier, safer, and more equitable. Justice brings both lived experience and serious academic work to the table—with degrees from UC San Diego, Stanford, and MIT.

Featured image of State Street in the spring via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

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