ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Saturday, despite zero sessions, it was a packed room. This time filled with young adults.
“Today I was talking about mental health and that’s why I’m here,” said Dheekshi, a student at Eden Prarie High School.
Topics ranging from mental health to youth homelessness.
“Our idea is definitely to get civic engagement and education related to state and local government into our curriculum,” said Quincy Shi, a student at Mounds View High School.
A Youth Policy Forum hosted by the Center for School Change, a Minnesota nonprofit, gives lawmakers from both parties the opportunity to hear the perspective of the future generation.
About 85 students from about 26 high schools representing both rural and urban areas gathered in the living room. 95% of the students had not even met each other yet.
It’s the third year of the forum and this is just the first part. After brainstorming and sharing ideas, students will return to help write bills and testify during the 2025 legislative session.
“They know better, they are in the classroom,” said Rep. Samakab Hussein.
This is the kind of current results… “They want to be part of the school board membership, so they select one person from each district to sit at that table, and that’s a policy we’ve been working on together,” Hussein added to it.
And other ideas that have already spawned bills that are now laws, like a bill that would allow students across the state to learn construction skills while building low-income housing.
“The discussion does not end after today, we must continue to discuss and continue to work on the issues we care about,” Shriya Yalamanchili, a student at Eastview High School, told WCCO.
“Getting involved and trying to leave this world better than you found it is what these kids do,” said Senator Steve Cwodzinski.
For students interested in making their voices heard in this way, lawmakers said they can always email them.
