PVS Students Attend Attend Virtual Youth Town Hall Hosted by BRIDGES Shelby County Youth Council

On Saturday, November 14, the BRIDGES Shelby County Youth Council (SCYC) hosted their first virtual Youth Town Hall.

The SCYC is a group of Shelby County high school students representing each district of Shelby County who gather in order to amplify youth voice, create innovative solutions to problems in our community, and increase civic engagement for youth across Shelby County.

The purpose of the Town Hall was to create a space where youth could learn about education, crime, poverty, and mental and physical health while also sharing their opinions in an open space with elected officials. “We chose to have a virtual town hall and workshops to safely engage youth from across the whole county in developing bold, innovative solutions and make Shelby County a place for constant, open dialogue,” explained Suha Arshad, a member of the Council representing District 4.

The Town Hall began with various workshops where students had the opportunity to meet with different community leaders to discuss topics such as the college application process, understanding a local government, and more. Afterwards, the event continued with the “Get Educated” workshops covering education, mental and physical health, crime, criminal justice, and ‘Counselors not Cops.’ These activities were facilitated by SCYC members. The day concluded with a question and answer session with County Commissioners, including Tami Sawyer, Michael Whaley, Edmund Ford Jr, and Eddie Jones.

“We organized the event by looking at our past experience with the Shelby County Youth Summit earlier this year and brainstormed how to make that space of open conversation online,” Arshad said. She also explained that social media played a huge role in spreading the word to youth across Shelby County.

Jana Elabiad, a junior at PVS, attended the Town Hall. “It was a very good experience,” she said. “It was educational and I enjoyed it very much.”

To learn more about the Shelby County Youth Council, visit https://bridgesusa.org/youth-programs/additional-leadership-opportunities/shelby-county-youth-council.