Hodson's TED Talk

 I believe that everyone has felt invisible at some point in their lives because I have felt invisible in many situations.  Hobsons TED talk was very interesting and it reminded me of all the awkward situations I have been through when I was in middle school and barely knew English. Hobson mentioned that when she was younger, she got invited to a birthday party and she was the only black person there.  She mentioned that instead of her mother asking how the party was, she asked, how did they treat you? When Hudson mentioned that, it instantly reminded me of when I joined the step team in middle school. I was really excited to join, but since I barely knew English, it was very hard for me to understand the instructions. Since it was hard for me to understand the instructions, a group of girls started to make fun of me and threatened to fight me after the program. Since this situation kept happening every time I went to the step team program, my mother noticed that I no longer came home happy.  I told my mother what was happening to so me so she convinced me to speak to the principals. I spoke to the principals and nothing was done. I went to the program and the girls kept threatening me so I decided to quit. When I got home, my mother asked me, did they help you? Did the girls bother you again? I told my mother what happened and she supported my decision because I was scared to be beaten up after school.  A space like YIA is a great program for youth to learn leadership skills because they learn to use their voice. YIA is an antidote to invisibility because youth learn to use their voice to defend their opinions and make sure they are heard.  The youth also learn that being different is a beautiful thing. since the students learn leadership skills, they do not feel invisible in the classroom because they feel comfortable sharing their opinions.