West Suburban Mayors bring youth to NLC in Florida (Maywood, IL) — The Village of Maywood, Village of Broadview, and Village of Bellwood have joined forces for 2 years now to bring youth to the National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit Conference. This year, 10 youth traveled to Tampa, FL with the Mayors and chaperones along with other elected officials and staff. Each year, the NLC welcome hundreds of youth leaders to the City Summit for leadership development and skills building. Mayor Nathaniel George Booker (Maywood, IL) stated, “Research underscores the benefits of high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs, providing youth with opportunities for academic acceleration, social skills development, and improved health and well-being. Ensuring our youth are exposed to life experiences that positively help shape their future is of the utmost importance. I am thankful for our community’s joint commitment in People + Partnership = Possibilities.“ Additional funding partners include, SD89 Education Foundation and Cook County Government’s Building Healthier Communities Initiative under the Cook County Department of Public Health.
The youth program is planned by youth for youth, focused on the issues and skills that are important to their peers. Cities are encouraged to make plans to bring their youth so they can meet youth leaders from across the country, participate in enriching workshops, and hear from inspiring speakers. The program offers youth-led programming, with sessions designed by the youth representatives who sit on the NLC’s Council on Youth, Education and Families. “Young people must engage in civic activities, attend city council meetings, and voice their opinions on issues that affect us directly, said Youth Council Member Jarrell David (Broadview, IL). The workshops included topics ranging from education, housing, economics, civic engagement, parks, and more with panelists from local, state, and federal levels. Youth council members had the opportunity to network and learn from youth councils across the nation.
“Partnerships and collaborations truly make a difference,” said Mayor Katrina Thompson (Broadview, IL). “Education is indeed the key to unlocking doors, but it is access to opportunities like these that open those doors wide for our young people to walk through. We are committed to ensuring that our students have the resources and knowledge they need to pursue their dreams.” Authentic youth engagement has been associated with numerous benefits, including the following: Skills development. Being meaningfully engaged can help young people build skills such as reasoning, decision-making, self-regulation, self-esteem, leadership, and professional development.
The conference highlighted the importance of youth involvement on topics that typically only adults are allowed to make decisions on, shared Youth Council Member Jalen Fowler (Maywood, IL). Mayor Andre Harvey (Bellwood, IL) said ” programs like these offer opportunities for learning, exploration, and personal growth outside of traditional school hours, helping to address achievement gaps, reduce risky behaviors, and promote positive development. It was a true pleasure to take young people to a conference to network and learn how our municipalities, as well as our government work.”
The NLC advocates for more than 23,000 cities, towns, and villages in the United States. The NLC’s mission is to promote cities as centers of leadership, governance, and opportunity. The NLC works to: Strengthen local leadership, Influence federal policy, Drive innovative solutions, and Provide research and technical expertise.
West Suburban Mayors bring youth to NLC in Florida
