I work with Let's CHAT, which started as a campaign to raise awareness of teen pregnancy in my community but eventually widened its focus to include many issues that teens experience in their generation. Working with this group taught me about relationships and I have developed a certain view on relationships in general. They are not all the same. 

Just like fingerprints, no two relationships are alike. Things might seem the same, but it's the expectations each person has that define what the relationship will ultimately be. Many of my peers agree with my view of relationships and see where I'm coming from. They just have a different opinion on how certain "expectations" are met.

I got this perspective through my involvement with Let's CHAT because I never really opened up to what relationships really were. I have been in many relationships, but I never took the time to stop and think about what it really is and why I am in one. It's a bond that I have with someone that I can be emotionally and physically intimate with. Someone who I can show mutual compassion with. I never took the time…until now.

While working with Let's CHAT, I learned how to keep an open mind when working with other people; that’s what being a leader is all about. You are going to encounter challenges and it takes someone who you can trust to work through it. Just like with relationships, there has to be that trust factor. You must know who you are trusting with not only your love, but with counting on them to be there when you need them. It's all about doing your part for one another and committing yourself to the promises you make to each other. I have been committed to Let's CHAT because I felt the bond between me and my team. They are there for me and I am there for them.

To find out more about Let’s Chat visit:  http://ashlandyouthcenterproject.org/lets-chat

Or check out this informational video (if you watch closely, you'll see Roberto!):

Roberto is 16 and from Alameda, CA. He is a member of The National Campaign’s Youth Leadership Team. He is the only YLT member to have successfully planked on every national monument in DC. Even the Washington Monument. We could tell you how he did it but we’d have to kill you. Have a question for Roberto? Email us!