Your Voice Matters: Join the PA5 Congressional Youth Cabinet
One of my favorite parts of representing our district is meeting and hearing from so many incredible young people — our future leaders. Last spring, our office launched the PA5 Congressional Youth Cabinet, a non-partisan initiative which engages high school students from our district in discussions of and crafting solutions to current issues.
I wanted an opportunity for high school students in Pennsylvania’s 5th district to share their ideas on how to solve the most pressing issues facing young Americans, and gain a deeper understanding of government. The energy and passion for justice these young leaders brought to our meetings bode well for the future of our community and country.
Our inaugural Congressional Youth Cabinet had 35 members who met five times over the course of the year. The last two meetings were virtual due to my being stuck in DC for late votes and COVID-19. Each meeting focused on a particular issue area, allowing the students and me the opportunity to have in-depth discussions about the ways in which specific policies and proposals influence their lives and those of their families and community.
We used the first meeting to get a feel for the issues students were passionate about. They came eager and prepared to discuss everything from gun violence, reproductive rights, climate change, LGBTQ rights, affordable healthcare, reducing costs of higher education, and our environment. Those interests guided the agendas for subsequent meetings, which focused on gun violence, climate change, how the media influences elections, immigration, and voting rights. At each meeting I was joined by staff members and subject matter experts to share their expertise and experience with the given topic. This also gave students a window into the wide range of careers available in politics and policy-making, from outreach, to policy, to communications.
I grew up in a family that encouraged my siblings and I to engage with the issues of the day and choose to matter, a tradition that I continued with my own children and as a longtime advocate for civics education. Now more than ever, as young people are faced with existential challenges to our democratic order and the environment, it is important that they have a seat at the table, and that we actually listen to their concerns about the world around them. I have never been more certain that this generation has the energy, optimism, and drive to create a more equitable, and just world. The PA5 Congressional Youth Cabinet provides an opportunity for students to have a front seat to our democracy in order to help foster a lifetime commitment to civic engagement and public service.
We are now accepting applications for the 2020–2021 Congressional Youth Cabinet! I am encouraging any rising high school junior or senior looking for ways to learn more about Congress and an opportunity to influence the policy making process to apply for our Congressional Youth Cabinet here: https://scanlon.house.gov/services/congressional-youth-cabinet.htm
New this year, we are also encouraging adult community members who may know a rising junior or senior ready to change the world to nominate them for the cabinet here: https://scanlon.house.gov/forms/form/?ID=10
We look forward to learning with you!
