The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio provided the opportunity for their Youth Advocacy Board to visit the State Capital, where they were able to speak to lawmakers about issues that are impacting them the most today.
The NE Ohio Youth Advocacy Board provides teens with the ability to learn and develop leadership skills. As part of the Character and Citizenship programing, the goal is to promote respect for self and others while building leadership qualities. Youth who participate in these programs are less likely to fail, get suspended or dropout of school. In fact, eighty-three percent of youth who are members of Boys & Girls Clubs report receiving mostly A’s and B’s (1).
The Youth Advocacy Board had a fantastic itinerary, giving members the opportunity to not only advocate but also experience Columbus.
They started their trip with a lesson by the Ohio Alliance that provided them with tools on how to effectively speak with lawmakers and how our state government works. Zai Knight, a teen member of the board said,” Atfirst I was nervous because the people we talked to have a higher image than I do, but [after the lesson with the alliance] I learned that they work for us so we are like their boss.” This gave them some extra confidence when going into these meetings.
This was followed by a tour of the statehouse and a visit to a Boys & Girls Club of Central Ohio. They also got to do some other Columbus experiences like Otherworld an immersive art museum.
The next day the Advocacy Board met with three legislators; Representative Sweeney, Representative Brewer and Minority Leader Antonio of the Senate. These meetings went great and allowed our youth to develop relationships with government officials that represent areas close to home.
Tali Andino, a teen member of the board had this to say about the meetings, “the meetings with the representatives and senator helped me get over a bit of my fear. I don't know how to explain it but I'm not really used to talking to new people. Talking to them gave me a little more confidence and made me think “I don’t know these people, but they are really kind, caring, and loving." I also just felt really important, like it felt like thy listed to my opinion and they really cared and respected it and didn't judge it like others do."
This Day on the Hill provided a great opportunity for club youth to engage with elected officials and advocate for issues they find to be the most pressing.
(1) Boys & Girls Clubs of America (2022). Data from the National Youth Outcomes Initiative (NYOI) Member Survey, mydata.bgca.net/Home.aspx.