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Images by Aurelien Morissard/Associated Press, Giovanna Stael/Folhapress, Omar Abdisalan/The Intercept, Elisa Marecos Saldívar, Philip Hamilton/Ocean Image Bank, and Afzal Adeeb Khan.

Letters for Change: The Power of Student Voices

When you learn about a problem from the news, what do you do? Being bombarded with information about intractable issues without solutions is a swift road to feeling overwhelmed.

The Pulitzer Center’s global letter-writing contests for youth make news actionable. We offer young people a framework for identifying the root issues in a story, connecting those issues to their local context, and proposing steps that local leaders can take to create sustainable change.

This year, some 1,900 students in over 40 countries, 26 U.S. states, and the District of Columbia leveraged Pulitzer Center-supported stories to advocate for change in their communities. Today, we are excited to share with you the winners’ work! These letters demonstrate the power of journalism to inspire informed action. They also introduce powerful young voices envisioning a better future, and the path we can forge to realize it. For example:

You can read all Local Letters for Global Change winning entries (in English), announced today, at this link. Visit this page to read winning entries from the Letter Contest for Our Forests and Ocean (in Spanish).

The impact of students’ writing and learning extends beyond the page. Prize winners will use their funds to contribute to civic engagement and global education in their communities. Moreover, their words catch the attention of those in power: Juliana Zatarim, a 15-year-old winner in the Letters for Our Forests and Ocean contest, received republication and appreciation from Brazil’s minister of the environment and climate change, who outlined steps the government is taking to address Zatarim’s concerns on coastal mangrove conservation.

We invite you to explore the winning letters to learn more about these young changemakers’ visions for a better world, and to take inspiration from their calls to action.

With care,

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Impact

The final two webinars of The 1619 Impact Series concluded the Pulitzer Center’s celebration of the fifth anniversary of The 1619 Project. These sessions highlighted innovative strategies for teaching the legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans to U.S. society, empowering educators to create transformative learning experiences. Educators shared approaches such as centering joy through narratives of resilience and fostering connections between students' identities and historical content. By prioritizing empathy, inclusion, and engagement, these webinars demonstrated how teaching difficult histories can inspire pride, agency, and meaningful connections to historical content among students. 

Read the full update here


Photo of the Week

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The haze heavily shrouded forest fire control officers at Mae Ping National Park, Chiang Mai, in Thailand. The north saw its protected forests burned the most in the country, with over 52,000 hotspots on the record. From the story “Special Report: Under the Haze I Demystifying the Flames.”  Image by Sayan Chuenudomsavad. Thailand, 2023.

This message first appeared in the January 17, 2025, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.

Click here to read the full newsletter.
 

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