Music is a driving force in the work we do here at Invisible Children. It propels our social movement and serves as a universal language. The same is true for 16-year-old singer and songwriter Hayley Reardon. This Boston native is much like every 16-year-old. She’s an avid reader and coffee drinker. Oh, and she used songwriting to begin a bullying awareness movement. Every 16-year-old does that, right?
Hayley picked up a guitar at age 11 and quickly recognized a distinct correlation between folk music and social justice. She was exposed to the thriving folk music community in Boston, and fell in love with the idea of creating music for positive change.
Hayley says, “I have had the chance to sit with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary and hear his stories of performing at the March on Washington, and the role that folk music played in the civil rights movement. That had quite an impact on me.”
At age 13, she became a peer spokesperson for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and incorporated music into classroom tool-kits to be sent to middle and high schools across the country. Hayley says, “Bullying is an issue that belongs to young people. It’s something we see every day in our own worlds and our very own fight for justice in our schools hallways and on our social media pages.”
In 8th grade, Hayley developed an in-school performance program called “Find Your Voice.” She then began traveling the country sharing songs and stories with middle and high school students, as well as summer camps and girl empowerment programs. During the program, she spoke to her peers about taking the journey of finding their voice, learning to value and accept their individuality, and using that to create positive change in their communities.
Hayley performing with the members of Camp Farwell in Newbury, Vermont
Hayley explains, “We write songs together, share stories, and hold discussion about empowerment and expression. My goal is to empower my peers to accept and value their own individuality and realize their potential to make a difference in the lives of those around them.”
She continues, “With every student I meet and every story they have to tell, I fall a little more in love with this work and with the voices of my generation. It is so rewarding to watch my peers come together, sing together, and realize all of the amazing things we can do when we feel okay to be ourselves.”
Hayley first discovered Invisible Children because of KONY 2012. She immediately saw us for what we were – a movement of individuals who are passionate about people and about fighting injustice, and she immediately wanted to be a part of that. To show her dedication, Hayley is packing up her guitar and headed to UCLA this August to attend our 2013 Fourth Estate Summit.
“When like-minded people come together and collaborate, powerful things can happen, and I want to be a part of that. I’m excited to be surrounded by infectious, passionate people who are making peace and justice a reality every day.”
At age 16, Hayley has already built a reputation for grit. She has identified how young people so often get derailed in their lives and maintains the perseverance and motivation to face that difficulty with her peers. At age 16, Hayley is teaching all of us.
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We’ve introduced you to this inspiring 2013 Fourth Estate Summit attendee; now take a look at our impressive list of speakers and special guests HERE.
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