Kinston Teens host ‘Ballots and Balance’ event in time for election

KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) – With the general election approaching, Kinston Teens, a nonprofit organization, is working to engage young leaders in the community through its “Ballots and Balance” event.

The event was hosted in partnership with the North Carolina Climate Justice Collective at La Rochelle Middle School.

The event featured the powerful music of Afro-Latin fusion artist and activist Taína Asili, the words of award-winning poet and hip hop artist Dasan Ahanu, who is also the cultural organizing director of the NC Climate Justice Collective.

Dance performances from local dance group Stage LYFE kicked off the event.

“Kinston Teens takes a truly creative and engaging approach to civic engagement and democracy,” said Chris Suggs, executive director of Kinston Teens. “We do events like this to engage people and meet them where they are. In community centers, in school auditoriums, we talk not only about the importance of this election but also about the issues at stake in the vote.

Kinston Teens was founded in 2024 and also celebrated 10 years of service at the event where members of the community, young and old, came together to highlight the importance of getting out the vote.

“The work the Kinston teens are doing really proves that politics is local,” Suggs said. “Yes, the presidential election is really important and we are talking about these issues tonight as well. But it’s also important to know who sits on the board of your local county commission and oversees your health department and local environmental policies. Or who sits on your city council and funds your police department and your road and storm warning infrastructure.

Kinston Teens, in partnership with the North Carolina Climate Justice Collective, is using proceeds from Thursday’s “Ballots and Balance” event to help its partner organization Hood Huggers International in Asheville which was impacted by the hurricane.

They encourage anyone interested in getting involved in the community and voting in this year’s elections to visit Kinstonteens.org.

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