We Are Neon

It is vital that young people are confident in their value as individuals, it is vital that young people are comfortable in their thoughts and actions, and it is vital that young people are encouraged to learn from and be inspired by one another. 

At We Are Neon, we know that young people are wildly talented, innovative, intelligent, and integral to the health of a community. They are bursting with energy and a fresh way of thinking, and are as open to learning and evolving as they will ever be. However, young people often are often disenfranchised and condescended to, and are frequently not seen by the ‘adult world’ as autonomous individuals with valuable and powerful thoughts of their own. For many young creators and thinkers, opportunities to share these thoughts and the work driven by them (be it literature, visual art, music, or some entrepreneurial initiative they are working on) are extremely limited. From talking to fellow young creators and thinkers, we know there is a collective hunger for a way to share ideas-- a collective hunger for an opportunity to spark conversations and make connections. 

We Are Neon is that opportunity. Our publication provides young people with a chance to share their ideas with the world, and by doing so, shows them that their work is valid and deserving of respect. We want to foster a creative environment where young people can learn that their work can inspire others and make an impact on their community. We want to encourage young creators that recognize their potential as powerful agents of change. We Are Neon gives young people a little push, that little bit of support they need to become empowered, confident in their validity as individuals, and recognized by others as active, valuable global citizens.

Started by Esmé Saccuccimorano and Marlena Doerr, two high-school seniors in Ithaca, NY, We Are Neon is a quarterly publication directed at empowering youth through the showcasing of their art, literature, music, and various innovative endeavors. 

As young artists themselves, Marlena and Esmé are familiar with the condescension, lack of opportunities, and lack of acknowledgment that many young people have to deal with. They know that young people needed a venue through which to share their ideas and gain recognition as valuable community members. To fill this need, and to combat the misconception that young people are not autonomous individuals with valid ideas, they created We Are Neon. 

Inspired by the energy and aesthetic of DIY-zines, We Are Neon is a print-magazine that publishes visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, etc.), creative writing (short stories, poetry, vignettes, etc.), and non-fiction/analytical writing (personal essays, research papers, opinion pieces, socio-political commentary, etc.) done by individuals under the age of 24. 

In addition to these categories, each issue of We Are Neon contains one or two ‘Featured-Youth’ pieces, written by the founders of We Are Neon, highlighting a youth-powered endeavor that we find noteworthy. This could be anything from a single young entrepreneur doing something interesting, a youth-powered non-profit organization, young people participating in social activism, or a group of young people working on some innovative and exciting new project. 

The ‘Featured-Youth’ section of We Are Neon is a way for us to share our excitement about the youth-world. It’s a way for us to tip our hats to people we respect and find inspiring, and to share their work with others in the hope that it inspires them too.

Looking to find out more (such as how to submit!)? Find We Are Neon on Facebook or email Esmé and Marlena at [email protected].