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It's easy to say young people should believe in themselves, but the number one thing is recognizing that it's a journey, that you have to build confidence in yourself.

I just believe that young people need to be able to learn how to write in their own voice. Just like a musician, you pride yourself on having your own distinct sound.

In addition to exploring imaginative worlds, I believe that young people should have access to reading material that validates their life, that gives them a sense of identity - to be able to read texts that chimes with their own world, corrals thoughts, and connects with the emotional conflicts of growing up.

Storytelling helps us understand each other, translate the issues of our times, and the tools of theater and film can be powerful in helping young people to develop communication/collaboration skills, let alone improving their own confidence.

I like to encourage young talented writers to try and help them get published and so forth, but that's all. That's the best I can do.

If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.

I've seen the power of the community. A young person can stand up, talk about his dream, and someone from the audience will come forth to help him make that dream come true. Great things can happen when you place the right ideas before the right audience!

I wish to share and pass down some of my generation's traits, and encourage young people to create their own art, music, and literature.

There's not really too many artists that young girls and young people can look up to and be inspired by. So I take it as my responsibility, sometimes, to be the person who has the voice to give people some truth about what we're doing.

A strenuous effort must be made to train young people to think for themselves and take independent charge of their lives.