LYNN — Youth involved in Prevent the Cycle’s summer pilot program will host a forum at the Lynn Museum on Aug. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. for the candidates for School Committee.
The forum was planned by members of Prevent the Cycle and its summer youth program, ages 16 to 22, as a way to incorporate younger residents into the campaigning process.
Prevent the Cycle President Adriana Paz said the organization began a conversation last year about how to make the changes they were looking to see locally, including preventing the cycles that exist around lack of representation and systemic racism.
One of the factors included in this conversation was the lack of participation by community members in the election process, specifically related to youth engagement.
“We saw a lot of youth protesting last year, and they were very involved in that sense, but then the question came: What next? What can they do with all of that energy?” Paz said. “So, we decided to create this path for them where they can engage in not only the election process, but how the city works in general.”
Paz said by creating this pilot youth summer program — which she hopes to expand to year-round — youth members can participate in the political processes that bring about necessary change.
Prevent the Cycle sent out flyers containing information on the program’s application process to local officials and residents throughout Lynn. The chosen participants meet virtually with members of Prevent the Cycle every Monday and Thursday and have a requirement of five to 10 meeting hours per week, including training and events. The participants also receive a stipend, thanks to funding from the nonprofit Building Audacity, which specializes in funding youth-led campaigns.
“It was fantastic to offer this as a paid opportunity,” Paz said. “We see a lot of kids that need jobs and want to — or need to — make money to contribute to their well-being.”
Paz said the youth members were enthusiastic to host a forum, and chose to focus on the School Committee because they have a lot of concerns regarding the district’s schools, highlighting mental-health related issues.
The youth have been working on this event since June, developing the questions and ideas, reaching out to the candidates, inviting local organizations and posting on social media.
“They’re putting a lot of work into this to make it a success,” Paz said. “They (School Committee members) should be front and center with our students and youth, and so this is a great opportunity for them (youth members) to express what they see as needs.”
While some of the youth in Prevent the Cycle’s summer program are eligible to vote, Paz said a lot of them are informed about local issues and topics of discussion from hearing talks through adults in their families and on social media.
Prevent the Cycle is hoping that the participants will spread the word to their friends about the importance of getting involved and voting, because it will affect their generation in the future.
In creating this new youth program, Paz said Prevent the Cycle is aiming to combat the lack of youth representation and conversation in the community.
This effort will also include the young members partaking in one-on-one interviews with candidates for other elected positions in the city, including mayor and city council.
Incorporating the youth in political events like election season is important, Paz said, because they are the ones who will be most affected by the outcomes.
“We talk about all these issues like housing and jobs and, if it’s an issue now, then it’s going to be an issue for them, so we need to make sure that they are part of the solutions and conversations,” Paz said. “There are problems that they want to be involved in and help to find solutions to; we just have to give them the space to do it.”
The event is free and Prevent the Cycle invites anyone to attend. The event will be live streamed and Lynn Community Television will be recording it as well.
