In 2025, Kinston, North Carolina was named an All-America City by the National Civic League — one of the nation’s most prestigious recognitions for civic engagement, collaboration, and community-driven problem solving. Kinston Teens is proud to have played a leadership role in Kinston’s successful bid, helping to shape the vision, storytelling, and on-the-ground work that earned our city national recognition. This honor affirms what our community has known for years: when residents — especially young people — are trusted to lead, transformative change is possible.
What Is the All-America City Award?
The All-America City Award recognizes communities that demonstrate:
Inclusive and meaningful civic engagement
Cross-sector collaboration
Equity-centered solutions to local challenges
Measurable, community-driven impact
The 2025 award theme focused on Strengthening Environmental Sustainability through Inclusive Community Engagement, highlighting cities that are responding to climate, economic, and social challenges by centering community voice and leadership. Kinston was selected as one of ten winning communities nationwide, following a competitive application process and a live, in-person presentation before a national jury in Denver, Colorado.
Kinston Teens served as a key organizing and leadership partner in the All-America City process, drawing on more than a decade of youth-led civic engagement, neighborhood planning, and equitable development work in East Kinston and beyond. Kinston Teens executive director and former Kinston city councilman Chris Suggs led Kinston’s application and our delegation group to Denver.
Our organization’s role included:
Helping to frame Kinston’s story around youth leadership, equity, and community-driven solutions
Lifting up resident-led and youth-led initiatives as core examples of Kinston’s civic infrastructure
Coordinating community voices, data, and storytelling connected to long-term engagement — not one-off participation
Representing Kinston alongside local government, residents, and partners during the national presentation
National Civic League reviewers specifically highlighted Kinston’s intentional leadership development, noting the city’s partnership with Kinston Teens as a standout example of inclusive civic leadership.
Kinston’s application and presentation centered three major community efforts — two of which were deeply led or co-led by Kinston Teens:
East Kinston Neighborhood Hub & Equitable Development
A youth-led, resident-driven initiative transforming vacant properties into community assets, advancing food access, digital inclusion, climate resilience, and anti-displacement strategies in one of Kinston’s most historically disinvested neighborhoods.
Reviewers described this work as:
“Some of the most impressive engagement I’ve ever read about.”
Emma Webb Park Master Plan
A nationally recognized, community-driven park redevelopment effort integrating flood mitigation, public space, and environmental resilience — shaped through door-to-door outreach, workshops, and youth-led engagement.
Youth-Led Civic Engagement & Leadership Development
Across all projects, Kinston Teens’ model of training young people as organizers, planners, and civic leaders was cited as a strength of Kinston’s civic infrastructure — including city staff receiving training from youth organizers, a rare distinction among finalist cities.