Fiston NdayishimiyeChange For Concord

We asked.
We kept asking. The lights came on.

From October 2022 to 2024 I worked with AFSC New Hampshire as a grassroots organizer and as Lead Organizer of Change for Concord.

From October 2022 to 2024 I worked with AFSC New Hampshire as a grassroots organizer and as Lead Organizer of Change for Concord, a group of young adults ages 18 to 30. Our first priority was safe lighting at the youth field at Keach Park in the Heights. We held a forum, spoke up and kept asking. On June 3, 2026, the lights came on.

Change for Concord was founded in 2016 to represent youth and refugee communities. As Lead Organizer, I helped build an organizing hub for young adults: youth leadership events that brought young people together across differences, and conversations between young people and established community leaders, so the voices of youth, New Americans, BIPOC residents and low-income families were heard.

"This is what I am going to do for my entire life. I’ve seen how other young people from the same background are struggling, and we have to train them, show them leadership, and help them access the resources our community offers." (Concord Monitor, December 28, 2022)
Fiston speaking on stage with a microphone.
Speaking up, again and again.Photo: Fiston’s archive

Highlights

What we have done.

  • Fall 2022. Change for Concord makes safe lighting at the Keach Park youth field its priority.
  • March 2023. We hold a community forum, testify and keep coming back.
  • December 2025. The lights are installed.
  • June 3, 2026. The lights come on.

The Keach Park lights

We asked.
We kept asking.
The lights came on.

  1. Fall 2022Change for Concord makes safe lighting at the Keach Park youth field its priority.
  2. March 2023We hold a community forum, testify and keep coming back.
  3. December 2025The lights are installed.
  4. June 3, 2026The lights come on.

More rooms

The rest of the work.

YdnYoung Adults Development NetworkToo many young voices get overlooked. YDN exists to change that, one leader at a time.One ConcordOne ConcordI founded One Concord to build belonging in our city.S.T.O.R.Y.Project S.T.O.R.Y.I volunteered with Project S.T.O.R.Y. I'm grateful for their work with Concord's youth.Importance TvImportance Leadership and Importance TVThrough Importance Leadership and Importance TV, I share my neighbors’ stories through medYouth NetworksYouth networks across New EnglandI serve as Youth President of youth leadership networks across Massachusetts, Connecticut

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