Our impact

When students, educators, business, nonprofit and civic leaders such as mayors, district attorneys, secretaries of state, chiefs of police and fire, county commissioners, and city council members join Talk A Mile conversations, they create meaningful moments of connection, engagement, and belonging. These interactions help young people feel seen, heard, and valued, while giving leaders a meaningful way to build relationships and stay connected to the communities they serve.

For example, Talk A Mile students joined the Portland Police Bureau’s Equity Summit, sharing perspectives and contributing to conversations on policing while lifting their voices in community dialogue.

Since Talk A Mile’s first steps, students have led the way. In order to ensure that students continue to steer our work, engage in our programs and connect with additional civic engagement and leadership development opportunities, we created the Student Engagement Coordinator role.

Their input shapes our goals, strategic priorities and programming. They help us recruit within their schools for upcoming Talk A Mile and next steps partner programs. We also offer a stipend and scholarship so that they can continue to grow their leadership skills through education.

Students who participate in Talk A Mile have become champions of connection in their own communities — introducing the program to their principals, bringing it into their schools, and inviting friends to join the conversations.

Through this, they’re not only strengthening relationships among their peers and with staff at their own schools, but also discovering new ways to get involved in their communities by connecting with other youth-serving organizations and city programs that are Talk A Mile partners. What starts as a single conversation often grows into a deeper sense of ownership and active participation in shaping their communities.