At CoolSpeak, we believe every student has a story worth sharing. In this blog, creative writer and poet Natasha Carrizosa explores how educators can help young people find their voices and know they belong.

What do you say to a student who believes their story “isn’t important”?

I say: Who told you that?

Because somebody needs to.

Metaphorically, every star wanders, wonders, and waivers. Scientifically, every star forms from the pull of gravity, clouds, density, and fusion – until the point of ignition.

In my experience, every young star has a story. Some stories cross borders. Some cross languages. Some cross oceans. Some cross generations. Some are about leaving home. Some are about finding home. Some are about fathers, mothers, grandparents, siblings, teachers, friends, loss, laughter, fear, hope, and becoming. Some stories are simply about trying to figure out where you belong.

Migrant students are no different than other students.

As educators, we have a responsibility to make sure we are beacons of light, a spark/grounding source, and understand this:

Your story matters. Your voice matters. You matter. Not because your story has to be extraordinary. Not because it has to win a contest. Not because it has to be published.

It matters because it is yours.

When we create brave-spaces where young people can tell their stories and write without barriers, something powerful happens. They begin to see themselves differently.

I have facilitated, workshopped, and witnessed the power of storytelling. Learners of all ages from all over the world. Different backgrounds, experiences, languages. Different reasons for being who they are.

Their stories remind me of something important:

1. Displacement does not always look the way we expect it to.
2. A young star can be displaced geographically.
3. A young star can be displaced culturally.
4. A young star can feel displaced because they speak differently, look different, learn differently, or have entered a room where they don’t yet know where they fit.
5. A young star can walk into a new school and wonder:

Do I belong here?

Does anybody see me?

Does my story matter?

Our job is not to decide which child has experienced “enough” to deserve a voice.

Our job is to truly listen.

To create what I call “brave-space.”

To protect.

To celebrate.

To empower.

Not every scholar will become a writer.

Not every scholar will want to stand in front of a crowd.

Not every scholar will immediately trust us with their story.

That’s okay.

But, every scholar/young star should know there is a place for their voice, story, and experience to shine.

This is the heartwork.

I have had the privilege of learning alongside educators who understand this deeply.

Different people. Different places. Different programs.

But the same fundamental belief:

We must protect all children. At all times.

That means we cannot only celebrate the students whose stories are easy for us to understand.

We cannot only make room for the loud ones.

We cannot only uplift the stories that make us comfortable.

We have to make room for complexity.

For joy.

For grief.

For confusion.

For identity.

For dreams.

For the child who has crossed a border.

For the child who has crossed a classroom.

For the child who is carrying a family history they don’t yet have words for.

For the child who simply doesn’t know where they belong yet.

And sometimes, giving a young star tools to express themselves (migrating or settled) a blank page is an act of radical affirmation.

It says:

I see you.

I hear you.

I believe you.

Your words are worth something.

So, educators, what will you do?

Don’t wait for a student to believe their story matters before you create space for it.

Help them believe it.

Here is what I Do:

Give them prompts.

Give them journals.

Give them poetry.

Give them microphones.

Give them cameras.

Give them books.

Give them time.

Give them an audience. Most importantly, give them permission to tell the truth of their own experiences.

Then listen. Really listen. Storytelling isn’t just an academic exercise. It can be a doorway to belonging.

Always Moving,

Natasha “Natty” Carrizosa

Natasha Carrizosa reminds us that when educators create space for students to share, they create opportunities for connection, confidence, and belonging. Every story matters, and every young person deserves to know it.