By Christina Fernández-Morrow, Hola Iowa
Des Moines, IA-While Lincoln senior, Meayla Stacks prepares for the semester’s government class, she’s also on a journey toward another goal: to connect with her Latina heritage. As a Youth Ambassador for Greater Opportunities, a nonprofit in Des Moines, Stacks is learning about culture and advocacy through community service.
Youth Ambassadors emerged from Youth Town Hall meetings where young people discussed their concerns and fears with local leaders. But they didn’t just want to discuss issues; they wanted to do something about them. They formed committees to identify and tackle the most important issues. Stacks leads the Cultural Committee.
“At first I wasn’t sure,” she recalls. “I don’t really know too much even about my own culture and background.” But she soon saw this as an opportunity to learn more about her Afro-Latina roots. Her plans include a cultural fair where groups like Latinos in Action will collaborate with Youth Ambassadors to celebrate and share their diverse backgrounds.
Greater Opportunities, the nonprofit that supports Stacks and the Youth Ambassadors, was started by RJ Miller. It is modeled after the work of his grandmother, Jeanette Jennings, a prominent African American leader in the 1960s who dedicated her life to giving a voice to underserved communities. “I’m trying to amplify youth voices, allow them to be heard, and remind them that they have a stake in our community,” explained the young executive director during a 2024 interview on Local 5 News.
Miller noticed several recurring themes in what youth needed to feel safe and thrive, such as mental health resources, literacy skills, and after-school options, just to name a few. Rather than wait for the school district to act, Miller engaged the youth and community directly. Programming varies from field trips to the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, to serving food during the holidays, and a biweekly literacy program at an apartment complex on Des Moines’ east side where many low-income elementary students look forward to reading and learning from Youth Ambassadors.
“The kids we work with have big dreams,” says Stacks of the literacy program. “We empower them through reading, and by sharing our knowledge and background they are learning history and culture.” This time with younger kids is just as beneficial to the Youth Ambassadors. Many did not have opportunities to learn from youthful leaders who looked like them. “The kids are excited and eager to learn,” shares Stacks with excitement. It’s clear she is equally fulfilled by their interactions. “It’s not just about you. We’re building relationships, someone they can look up to like a mentor. We’re able to learn along with them, and if anything, we’re teaching each other.”
While the program is less than five years old, Stacks has already seen the power of youth leading youth. “We had a situation where there was an altercation and two kids had stopped being friends,” she explains. The Youth Ambassadors used a restorative justice practice that opened the lines of communication and highlighted how their actions impacted others. Exercising proficiencies they learned through Greater Opportunities, they avoided violent outcomes. “When we’re able to lead like that together, they learn to do that outside the program, in their communities,” she says.
As Stacks grows into a stronger leader and communicator, she hopes to use those talents to learn more about herself. She plans to use ancestry and DNA kits to discover family members who can shed light on their shared history. “I’m connecting with every family member I can because it’s a personal goal to know my cultural identity, because that impacts you as a person,” she says. “I know there are people out there who have felt like me, because I’ve connected with some who have the same questions, and it’s very challenging sometimes, and discouraging.”
Stacks’ resilience, leadership, and the growing network of leaders she’s building are positioning her for success. There’s no doubt she’s growing into a role model, not only for kids, but for anyone who has ever longed to be empowered through their heritage and use their history to help form their future. As she continues to explore her Afro-Latina roots and inspire those around her, Meayla Stacks is a glowing illustration of the power of youth, determination, and the unyielding pursuit of self-discovery to influence community evolution.
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