Kansas City musician with innovative solar battery goes global with United Nations
A Kansas City musician who got his start performing on the streets of the Country Club Plaza and the Crossroads Arts District has been propelled onto a global stage as a youth representative for sustainability with the United Nations.
AY Young, who grew up in the Ivanhoe neighborhood, was one of 17 people from around the world appointed last fall as a youth leader focused on the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals. He was the only one from the U.S.
He garnered attention for the solar-powered battery he helped develop to use as a power source for the speakers, keyboard and microphone that he uses at shows. The device has powered his performances at more than 800 concerts in 39 states and around the world, including in Honduras and London.
The idea began in 2012 when Young wanted to find a way to put on a concert in any location. He figured out how to use batteries to power shows on The Plaza, kicking off the Battery Tour.
Later he began researching alternative energy and added solar panels to the battery, enabling him to do “renewable energy performances.”
As Young developed the concept, he learned that more than one billion people globally lack access to energy.
Local partners
Through partnerships with Arts KC, the Kauffman FastTrac program and the Charlotte Street Foundation, Young continued building on the idea. It culminated in the creation of an energy box that has now been distributed in 17 countries. The suitcase-sized boxes capture solar energy and store it in batteries. On the outside of the box are multiple outlets.
Arts KC grants manager Heather Beffa said the organization was proud to have supported Young with two grants and watched his success grow over the past few years.
“Those kinds of things don’t just happen,” Beffa said. “I see that as a result of a great deal of AY’s effort.”
Most recently, Young helped send solar boxes to Haiti and Honduras, where he has partnered with organizations working on the ground to identify villages that lack access to energy. The devices are used to charge laptops, cellphones and other electronics. In some cases, that means people no longer have to walk miles to the nearest charging station.
“Kansas City really helped that happen,” Young said.
“We’re all outlets for change and plugged into each other,” he said. “We can do anything and together, we can change the world and make the world a better place.”
United Nations
Last September, Young attended the U.N.’s Climate Week in New York City where he met Al Gore and environmentalist Paul Hawken, who nominated him for the youth envoy position.
“I woke up and they said I was selected,” Young said. “I’m one of the 17 young leaders and I’m the only young leader that they picked from the United States of America. I feel like there’s so much responsibility.”
Having someone from Kansas City raise awareness on environmental issues, which present both local and global challenges, will help bring quicker progress, said Tom Jacobs, director of environmental programs at the Mid-America Regional Council.
“He just brings an incredible amount of talent and joy to his work and he helps us frame up a topic that’s really challenging. Sometimes it’s viewed through partisan lenses and he helps us think about it in ways that are fun, creative and happy,” Jacobs said, adding that MARC approved in March a climate action plan aimed at creating a net zero emissions region by 2050.
Music with Tech N9ne
Young is working on an album of 17 songs, one for each of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, which include clean energy, gender equality and education.
Each song will feature Young and other artists, including Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne.
When Tech N9ne looked over the 17 goals, “the one that popped out for me was the one on poverty because I come from poverty,” he said. “I can speak on what I came from, how you can apply yourself mentally, to become what you want to do in life.”
The rapper, born Aaron Yates, said the collaboration was a beautiful thing because it was homegrown and because Young can create a “humongous, melodic tune that can really go all over the world.”
Young said his music was about passion and taking an action.
“No matter what age or shoe size you are, everyone on this planet is an outlet for change — whether you’re a company, a corporation, an organization, an individual. We’re all outlets and plugged into each other at the local level, the community level, the world level, we can do anything,” he said.
After finishing the record, Young said he plans to go on tour next year.
The first stop would be in Kansas City.
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
