Atlanta’s next generation of leaders took the microphone this weekend.
Students from across the city gathered at the Loudermilk Conference Center for Future ATL Now, a youth-led event designed to spark conversations about leadership, innovation, and the future of Atlanta. The program brought together Atlanta Public Schools students, educators, and community members for an afternoon of speeches, performances, and bold ideas about what the city could become.
More than 200 attendees participated in the event, which featured student speakers addressing topics ranging from environmental sustainability and urban planning to ensuring youth voices are heard in city leadership.
Students Sharing Ideas for Atlanta’s Future
Students representing schools across Atlanta delivered remarks and presentations that challenged leaders to think differently about the city’s future.
North Atlanta High School student John Henry Collins spoke about sustainability and the role young people can play in shaping a greener Atlanta. Frederick Douglass High School student Simora Gaines highlighted the importance of listening to youth perspectives when decisions are made about the city.
The afternoon also included a performance by the KIPP Band, adding energy and celebration to the program.
Together, the students demonstrated that Atlanta’s young people are already thinking deeply about the policies, spaces, and opportunities that will shape their communities.
Investing in Youth Ideas
During the program, Chief of Staff Courtney English delivered remarks on behalf of Mayor Andre Dickens, reinforcing the administration’s focus on youth development and opportunity.
“The mayor’s broad strategic vision is to make Atlanta the best place in the country to raise a child,” English told attendees. “It’s the thing we think about every single day.”
English explained that the city is working to organize its efforts around building healthy, safe, and supportive neighborhoods where young people can thrive.
He also announced a new investment to support an idea raised by students during the event: the creation of more “third spaces”—places outside of home and school where young people can gather, learn, and connect safely.
To help move the concept forward, English announced that the city will contribute $50,000 to support a feasibility study exploring how third spaces could be developed in Atlanta.
“We want to put a little fuel in that bus,” English said. “Let’s get the study going and figure out how to get it built.”
Youth Voices at the Center
Future ATL Now reflects a broader commitment by the Dickens administration to place young people at the center of Atlanta’s future.
Early in his first term, Mayor Dickens launched the city’s Year of the Youth, expanding opportunities for mentorship, employment, and youth engagement across Atlanta.
English encouraged students to continue speaking up and sharing their perspectives.
“You young people are no longer waiting for permission,” he said. “You understand that speaking up is the first step to solving problems, and at City Hall we’re ready to hear from you.”
Building Atlanta’s Future Together
The event was organized to give students a platform to share ideas and engage directly with community leaders.
By creating space for those conversations, Future ATL Now highlighted the important role young Atlantans play in shaping the city’s future—from sustainability and technology to community spaces and leadership.
As the discussions throughout the afternoon made clear, Atlanta’s future is already being imagined—and led—by its young people.
