Local elected officials, pictured sitting from left to right, School Board Chair Michelle Rief, Virginia State Delegate Charniele Herring, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, and Mayor Alyia Gaskins, listen to a question from youth panelist Mikel (center). (Photo courtesy of Mayor Gaskins)
Following her victory in the 2024 mayoral election, I had the opportunity to interview Mayor Alyia Gaskins for Theogony. In the interview, Mayor Gaskins said that creating a Mayoral Youth Council will “help us sort out and navigate the issues that are most important to youth.” A few months later, she reached out to ask me to help plan what has become the Mayoral Youth Forum.
During the first few meetings for planning the forum, I learned a lot about what life looks like for other young people in Alexandria, and some of the difficulties they face regarding issues such as extracurriculars, environmental health, equity, transportation, public health, geographic divide, and communications. These subjects eventually became the focuses of the committees for our Mayoral Youth Forum. Taking this into account, myself and others advocated for the forum to be as democratic as possible so youth from all around the city would be able to participate. After all, I was able to join the forum because I had an opportunity to, and I want to make sure that others are able to have the same chances.
The first forum on March 29 was a fantastic start to what I hope will become an accessible way for young people to be involved in local government. It showed me that local public officials really do care about the youth in Alexandria, and that they are committed to supporting us. We were honored to have Alexandria State Delegate Charniele Herring, School Board Chair Michelle Rief, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, and Mayor Gaskins as panelists. The mayor and ACHS junior Salma Naqshbandi both gave wonderful speeches to open the forum emphasizing the importance of youth involvement in local government. Three high school students, Mikel, Megha Munipalla, and myself, asked the panelists some questions regarding their dedication to youth in Alexandria in areas like transportation, gun control, education, and then the floor was opened for everyone to ask questions. After that, students split into various aforementioned committees to discuss these issues while the adults took notes. Young people from each group were then asked to share what was discussed in their respective committees. Finally, we adjourned the forum, took a group photo, and gave our final thanks to our elected officials and each other.
While the forum spanned just one hour, there was no shortage of ideas being shared, and there was certainly no shortage of excitement for the next meeting. I think the most important thing that young people should know is that your public officials are always open to listening to feedback and concerns that you may have. In any level of government, there can be a disconnect between constituents and their elected representatives. However, the adults and young people of Alexandria are now working to bridge that gap. Young people are ready to make changes in their community, and will hopefully see that the Mayoral Youth Forum is a coherent, effective way to facilitate that change.
Participating in the forum may seem intimidating, but all you need to bring to the table is a willingness to work with others and a desire to improve Alexandria. It is a very flexible commitment, and working and cooperating with your peers is fundamental to creating the change that you want to see. It’s also a learning experience on becoming an active citizen in our communities. Before I was asked to help plan the forum, I had wanted to get involved in the community but I didn’t really know how. If you don’t know much about what goes on in local government, or how to get involved, the MYF is the perfect place to learn. More broadly, politics and advocacy can be much more accessible through local government than it is on a national level because, ultimately, the grassroots is where most change begins. I am absolutely elated to be a part of helping to build and plan the Mayoral Youth Forum. I care a great deal about Alexandria, and I want to help make it better by doing work and advocacy with my peers through the forum.
Originally published in Mayor Gaskins’ weekly newsletter; email [email protected] to sign up.