Determined to close this “opportunity gap,” Adam and Heather believed that by equipping youth with cameras and teaching them visual storytelling, they could shift narratives and demand accountability. This approach would soon become the foundation of Critical Exposure’s strategy: combining art and youth organizing to elevate youth voices and address educational injustices.

Since then, dedicated cohorts of youth, staff, board members, and volunteers have worked to build Critical Exposure into an organizing home for Black and Brown youth in DC. Together, we have cultivated a powerful space where young people can, not only tell their own stories but also challenge the narratives that have long misrepresented their communities. Through this collective effort, Critical Exposure has become a place for young people to continue fighting for justice, demand systemic change, and uphold the dignity and rights of their communities and schools.

Highlights:

• After initially facing obstacles launching the project through official channels in DC, Heather and Adam shifted their strategy to partner with a summer program in Baltimore. Our first project engaged 75 middle school students who used photography to document the conditions in their school facilities. 
• In partnership with the Maryland ACLU, the youth-led campaign successfully convinced the 2005 Maryland General Assembly to increase funding for school facilities by $100 million. In the following year, students held an exhibit near the State House, which led to a significant increase in the state school capital budget and nearly doubled funding for Baltimore City schools.
• In Pennsylvania, we partnered with high school students to document the effects of underfunding, leading to a $275 million increase in school funding. 
• In New Orleans, we worked in partnership with several youth organizations to create a “Student Bill of Rights” and advocated for school rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. 
• In DC, youth helped to secure $200 million annually for school modernization through the School Modernization Financing Act and a public commitment to allocate $4 million for homeless youth services. In partnership with DC Alliance for Youth Advocates, we supported STEP Up DC, a youth-led initiative to improve graduation rates in the District, presenting findings on the dropout crisis to policymakers and driving conversations about educational reform.
• We moved into the historic Thurgood Marshall Center Building and deepened our roots and investment in DC.

Core Issue Areas: School Facilities • School Pushout and the School-to-Prison Pipeline • School Nutrition • Racism and Gentrification • Arts Education Graduation Requirements • Restorative Justice

Highlights: 

• We launched our Fellowship program to build a space to sustain citywide youth organizing. This marked an important shift in our approach from working in partnership with afterschool programs to building a pipeline of youth organizers. 
• We developed our introductory Youth Internship program and our advanced Summer Youth Facilitation institution to support the growth and skill development of young people.
• Washington Metropolitan High School students revitalized their neglected library, securing nearly $20,000 in new furnishings and resources. Jackson-Reed High School students pushed for an ethnic studies course at their schools. 
• Fellows fought to keep visual and performing arts as graduation requirements in DC Public Schools. Their work on the school-to-prison pipeline led to their campaign for Restorative Justice programs in DC high schools led to a lasting pilot program aimed at reducing suspensions and expulsions.
• During this time, we invested in sustainable staffing models, introduced political education to our approach, and began to standardize our curriculum to focus on developing youth power and agency, photography and storytelling skills, and youth-led campaigns.

• Fellows led a campaign to secure enhanced training and accountability for school security guards. They worked with the Metropolitan Police Department and DCPS to improve student interactions and create a more positive school climate. 
• Youth leaders led a campaign to introduce financial literacy standards to DC high schools. They presented their research and recommendations to the Deputy Mayor of Education and employees at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. After several years of inaction on this issue, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education presented standards to the State Board of Education who unanimously adopted new financial literacy standards in 2024.
• Critical Exposure, in collaboration with the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates and Mikva Challenge, organized a youth-led forum for the DC mayoral race. Young people discussed pressing issues like food deserts, mental health, sanctuary cities, and community violence.
• Youth participated in a national day of action for police-free schools, advocating at the U.S. Department of Education and sharing their experiences of policing in schools.
• Youth leaders called on our organization to live more fully into our values and expressed a desire to center organizing in all aspects of our work, leading the organization into a period of discernment and reflection about how to make this internal commitment publicly visible.

• Critical Exposure alumni gathered as the DC Youth Collective. As young Black and Brown artists and activists, they focused on the criminalization of their communities and advancing educational justice. Their efforts and partnerships contributed to the DC Council’s decision to end the security contract between the Metropolitan Police Department and DC schools.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Critical Exposure transitioned to virtual programming and provided direct services to address the urgent needs of young people.
• Our founding Executive Director, Adam Levner, stepped down from his role kicking off a founder transition and the search for our next Executive Director. 
• Nicole Newman joined as Executive Director, bringing a fresh perspective and commitment to equity as a Black woman and native Washingtonian. Her leadership represents a symbolic turning point in the organization and is the result of internal organizing by youth, staff, and our Board of Directors.
• The Youth Organizing Collective evolved from the Fellowship and continues the work of the DC Youth Collective. YOC members focus on youth mental health, safety, political education, and base-building. Youth support existing campaigns with partner organizations, attend one-off events, and research efforts around improving youth safety in DC.
• During this transition, we focused on operations and internal capacity-building work, strategically pausing partnerships and deep engagement in external organizing. We also focused on improving our support for both our youth and staff. We clarified our mission, vision, and values. We launched a new strategic plan and updated our visual identity to better convey our work and achievements.