Writers at Generation Next are not the only ones who celebrate 16th birthdays. This section, which publishes stories by teenagers and for teenagers, also celebrated its 16th anniversary last month.

This milestone can't be complete without acknowledging Bernadette Garcia, a former Santa Fe New Mexican employee who spearheaded the section that gives teenagers a voice.

Founding editor finds her true calling

Garcia, now employed at the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, started working at The New Mexican a couple decades ago in the accounting department and later started helping with obituaries, wedding announcements, calendar listings and the like.

"I climbed the ladder," she explained. After Rob Dean, the newspaper's managing editor, suggested they develop a section for teenagers, Garcia leaped on the opportunity. The first Generation Next section was published in October 1995 in The New Mexican.

Dean explained that the mission was clear from the start. "When Bernadette became editor of Generation Next," he said, "she made a commitment to listen to and speak to young people in the area through news coverage."

However, before Generation Next, the newspaper already had a teen section.

"Originally it was called — get this — 'Fresh Flavor,' " Bernadette said, emphasizing the name's inherent corniness. The name "Generation Next" came as the result of a reader contest.

Giving teens a voice

The section first printed on Saturdays, which became a problem.

"Teens aren't going to buy newspapers," especially not on Saturdays, Garcia said. Publishing Generation Next on Saturdays meant that only kids whose parents subscribed to the paper would see it. At that time, Generation Next also was written by adults, whose articles focused on issues relevant to teenagers. But after six months, it was clear that teenagers weren't interested. By researching other teen papers across the country, Garcia eventually came up with what has become a training program for future journalists. From then on, high school students began writing for Generation Next, and the program slowly grew.

"That was an act of faith in young journalists and a statement that said their lives and perspectives and concerns count in Santa Fe," said Dean, who supported the bold decision.

Generation Next eventually became a tabloid, distributed as an insert inside The New Mexican. Throughout the years and changes, Garcia said the one thing that has not changed is that "teens have a voice" in The New Mexican. And in order to reach a wider readership, The New Mexican's Newspapers in Education program kept newspapers in area schools, giving students the opportunity to get a copy of the Friday section.

Michelle Chavez, NIE coordinator for The New Mexican, said that "about 50 area schools from as far south as Santo Domingo, Pecos, Santa Fe, up to Ojo Caliente and in between" receive The New Mexican every day, with a circulation for those schools of more than 2,500. "We do see the middle and high school[s] ask for more papers on Friday," Chavez said.

Wealth of writers

Writers have come and gone, but each have brought a particular skill or insight to Generation Next. Garcia said some of them have become professional photographers and writers for major newspapers — even for Sports Illustrated. Garcia said she still keeps in touch with many past Generation Next writers.

David Salazar, 18, reflects fondly on his time writing for the section. "My time at Generation Next was probably some of the most valuable time I spent in high school," he wrote from New York City, where he lives and attends Columbia University. "It definitely helped get me more interested in journalism as a career and it was a huge factor in [my] choosing to attend Columbia University."

Alex Wirth, a 2011 Santa Fe Preparatory graduate who now attends Harvard University, said Garcia's enthusiasm and guidance helped him write stories he still feels proud of.

"Bernadette helped me with some of the stories I am proudest of writing, from interviewing Colin Powell and Jeff Bingaman to writing a weekly sports column. Bernadette's endless enthusiasm was matched with valuable criticism and praise," Wirth said.

Tori Velarde, a 2011 Santa Fe High Shool graduate, said Garcia always showed respect toward their ideas. "She taught me that in journalism everyone's ideas are valid and have the potential to become something really interesting," said Velarde, who attends The University of New Mexcio.

Lifelong advocate for youth

Garcia said she still reads Generation Next. "I read it online, almost every week," she said, sitting at a table in the café of the Department of Public Safety, she said. Her job these days is to read. Garcia reads police reports and details of forensic investigations and then makes judgments on what information can be released to the media.

It's been a long run for Garcia and Generation Next, and she is looking forward to the next step in her career. When asked where she sees herself in 15 years, Garcia responded with a smile, "Retired. I'd like to see myself retired and doing volunteer work. Something with teenagers. I love working with teenagers."

That love for working with teens is something Dean saw in Garcia's work. "Generation Next respected its readers enough to deal with serious issues in and unflinching way. Stories about the latest high-tech gadgets live side by side with stories about the stresses of entrance exams. A breezy story about prom dresses might be balanced by a tough story about oral sex," Dean said.

"Bernadette always was — and I suspect always will be — an advocate for the youth of Santa Fe. Her conviction became the inspiration that filled the pages with meaty pieces on suicide, bullying or STDs," Dean said.

Garcia set out to provide a forum for teenagers in Santa Fe and her work still flourishes. Generation Next still features the Speak Out section, one of the most popular pieces that quite literally gives print space for teens to express their feelings on many topics. And although the section has been reduced from a tabloid to a single page — primarily because of the economic downturn — the published material still aims to be relevant and interesting to Santa Fe's teens, and maintains an uncompromising journalistic integrity.

Vaughn Fortier-Shultz is a senior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach him at moosemanxl@gmail.com.