18 UNDER 18
FOLIO WEEKLY’S
CURATED BY WINSTON SEABROOKS AND RODNEY WELLS
ABOUT THE CURATORS:
WINSTON SEABROOKS From a young age, Winston Seabrooks was determined to be great. Ever Since he was in the first grade he always had aspiration for politics and public service to his community. Seabrooks has been an outspoken voice for his community since the age of 14, and has been employed through the “Mayor’s Youth at Work” program since the 10th grade. He wanted to use his voice to reach out to others and tell them to not succumb to the life of the streets, as he’s seen so many do. Now a senior at Jean Ribault High School, he is the incoming class president. Seabrooks has served as a vision keeper for Edward Waters College, and is also an active member and Executive Director for strategic partnerships for the Young Leaders Of Today organization. In 2016, Seabrooks held his first debate for candidates running for Florida House District 14, along with a debate for candidates running for school board district 5. Through his work, Seabrooks speaks the truth about the struggles young people, especially people of color, in this city face. In Seabrooks, elected leaders have seen the potential of what could be the next political leader in Jacksonville. He has even caught the eye of some notable Tallahassee lawmakers from his interactions on Twitter. After finishing high school Seabrooks plans to attend Florida A&M or Howard University and receive a degree in law. Winston then aspires to become an attorney, return to Jacksonville, and uses his voice to continue to fight for the voiceless
RODNEY WELLS Rodney Wells is a 17 year old student at Bishop Kenny High School. He has founded Young Leaders of Today, an organization to empower and engage young people through civic and social action. YLT members work at local and state level to empower fellow leaders, increase civic participation, and engage fellow students to become active within their communities and government. This organization is entirely student run and members from all walks of life have the chance to open new doors through their involvement in our projects and events. Through this, Wells has become recognized as a leading voice for students in Jacksonville. Wells is also involved in several programs and projects, like the #OurFutureisNow Initiative. In partnership with the Duval County Supervisor of Election Office, the Initiative’s goal is to pre-register over 1000 students by the end of 2020. In addition it will also increase youth participation in the voting process by giving high school students the opportunity to work the election polls in March, August, and November of 2020. Political-ish, a project of Young Leaders of Today, a student led media platform that seeks to inform high school students on local, state, and national issues from a bi-partisan point-of-view. Political-ish features a student based new blog, and in 2020 it will launch its first podcast episode! Wells also led the “What’s Going On? Speak up About it!” initiative, with the aim of increasing youth involvement in Jacksonville and the Mayor’s Young Leaders Advisory Council. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP and has received the All In Membership award from the local chapter. In the future, Wells wants to major in political science or international and further explore his passion for politics and public service. 23
