This article has been written by guest writer, Abdullah Elzawawy, Senior at River Dell High School in Oradell, NJ. Many of you may recognize his name from his previous article “How a YouTube Rabbit Hole Led Me to Fight for Safer Streets in My Community,” where he wrote about discovering his urban planning passion by accident. Since then, Abdullah has pursued an internship position at VTC, and prepared this article about the role of high school students in Safe Routes to School Programs and Projects.
Thank you, Abdullah, for sharing your opinion and insights.
Turning Memes into Movements
The best way to engage high schoolers in Safe Routes to School may not be through meetings or formal programs at all, but through something far more familiar to students: social media. If SRTS programs shifted focus from encouraging schools to join their cause and only teaching safety information to instead educating students about why we do not already have safer, more equitable infrastructure, it could cultivate a far more committed group of students. The reports themselves note that maintaining student engagement can be challenging, which suggests the issue is not just recruiting students but inspiring them to care enough to stay involved. When students understand the bigger picture behind American road design, as in why safer alternatives exist but are often not implemented, they are much more likely to feel motivated to speak up and advocate for change. From a high schooler’s perspective, one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to spread that message is through social media. Schools could hold social media contests where the most liked or shared post about safer streets wins, use Instagram “question stickers” to let students exchange ideas about local safety concerns, or post AI reimagining of local intersections to visualize what safer infrastructure might look like. Social media trends already thrive on visual comparisons and short commentary, making them ideal for highlighting the contrast between car-centered streets and safer alternatives. More importantly, social media is already one of the most engaging aspects of a high schooler’s life. If SRTS programs want to feel relevant to students, it should communicate with them in the spaces where they already spend their time. Short posts explaining why American infrastructure looks the way it does, or quick “mini rants” about how safer street design works elsewhere, can actually be entertaining when paired with simple calls to action like reposts, polls, or student discussions.
Meet Students Where They Already Are
While it may sound unconventional and almost comedic, this type of engagement can ultimately drive real reform, because it encourages students to think critically about the systems around them. In many ways, Gen Z and the rising Gen Alpha generation are already on the edge of this conversation; they simply need a clear way to participate. When students realize that the alternative future is one of car dependency, sitting in traffic, paying high costs for vehicles and maintenance, and spending large portions of their income just to move around, they often become far more interested in exploring better options. This relatability between SRTS and the everyday experiences of students may be the missing key to building stronger collaboration between the program and the next generation.
Empowerment
High school students could become a powerful addition to Safe Routes to School’s growing network of advocates. However, the way SRTS fits into a high schooler’s life needs to be reconsidered. High school students are ambitious and eager to make an impact, whether that recognition comes from colleges, their communities, or simply from seeing real change happen around them. Programs that treat students as capable contributors rather than just participants will have a much easier time earning their attention and commitment. If SRTS can tap into that ambition and give students meaningful opportunities to act, it could transform curiosity into genuine advocacy. Doing so will not be simple, but the goal should be to engage young people with the deeper causes behind unsafe streets, not just the visible symptoms. If Safe Routes to School truly wants to bring high schoolers into the movement, it may be time to revisit the “E” framework, focusing on empowerment.