Jahsendah Dann

 

Jahsendah Dann (15)

Uptown Summer Youth Employee 2016

Listen to Jahsendah’s audio portrait here:

 

Do you write on your own?

If I’m in a creative mood I write. I write just anything that pops into my head. I go on rants usually. I just start writing them down, on my phone usually. But I don’t share my writing with anyone, to be honest.

 

Do you consider yourself a storyteller?

I think I’m part of the story, but I’m not the storyteller. I’m just one of the youth that try to help the community and just be a part of the organization here. Maybe I’m another person who had a big part when we were talking,  but I don’t see myself as a talker or writer.

 

What does being a storyteller look like for you?

For me, I just see someone speaking, a confident speaker that has a loud voice and can get people’s attention. I want to be able to do that. I want to be able to talk confidently to tell a story. I’m working on it. I think [Uptown Summer] is helping, because it forces you to talk to people. Considering how the mayor came, you have to talk to him. You can’t just sit there.

 

Do you think there’s anything relation between the discussions we have and the work we do in the garden?

It’s basically the resolution to what we’re talking about to make a difference to help. We talk about what can we do to make change, like with the abandoned buildings and to not have vacant lots. Like with the garden. To go into the garden is to fix that.