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Giving the youth a voice in shaping the future
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Posted on Sep 09 2005
By JOSE C. MAFNAS
If the Youth Congress serves its intended purpose then it should become the learning ground for future political leaders. When it fails to recognize its legitimate purpose, it may very well be due to the lack of legitimate working model from which to learn from.
If responsible members of the community assumed their inherited task to properly guide its youth and aspiring leaders, then the question ought to be not whether the Youth Congress is serving its intended purpose but rather, what can the community do as a collective whole to help it find its legitimate and critical role in the improvement of the community they live in.
All too often, organizations such as these are rendered powerless by the very same people who created them in the first place. As early as the elementary school level, these youths were introduced to the concept of civic participation and governance. Yet, at that level, their role is reduced to no more than fundraising activities. This is a breach of trust as it gives the appearance of deliberately denying these youths actual participation in matters that directly affect them. Consequently, they are disenfranchised by the very people who are charged with the responsibility to encourage and empower them in charting their future.
Recently, youth organizations in Arizona lobbied their state congress to enact and pass a law to make bullying in schools a crime. Certainly, youths need guidance and someone needs to step up to the challenge; the future will depend on it.
The author currently resides in Mesa, Arizona.
