When young teens cast their first ballots today it will be on what type of pizza they’ll be having for lunch.
The election exercise, however, is only one of may steps in educating around 80 students in 8th- through 12th grade what it will be like to become “awesome adults.”
The two-day Yolo Youth Rally was a free conference held at the Woodland Community College and geared around teaching aspiring teens how to become more involved in politics and in their communities. The event wraps up this afternoon.
Students received lessons about voting and the elections process directly from the Yolo County’s Elections Office and Women League of Voters in a non-partisan environment. Information was presented with its own special “zing” as a means of maintaining interest while remaining neutral so the kids could form their own opinions.
Students also got to participate in a mock election using actual ballots and voting booths, where in addition to selecting pizza, there were also decisions to be made on candidates.
Rhea Fabricante, teen services librarian from the Woodland Library, told teens they were going to be getting the “tools that you need to learn leadership skills and also become ‘awesome adults.’”
Meanwhile, Rogelio Villagrana worked to get the youngsters “fired up” about taking part in the two-day event that could shape their lives in unknown ways.
Jesse Salinas, Yolo County registrar of voters, said that the focus was to engage youth in conversations about the importance of voting and civic participation.
“My goal is to encourage this diverse group to be active in their community and to ensure that their voices are heard both today and in the future,” Salinas said.
The Youth Rally featured a variety of workshops and activities where students can learn about essential lifelong skills. Some of the workshops focused on not just citizenship but how to make job applications, managing their money, resolving conflicts peacefully, going to college, sexual health, self-defense, and even yoga.
Students seemingly wanted to participate. During one motivational exercise, they were asked what they hoped to achieve and one student answered simply “Don’t ick my wow!” meaning that those presenting ideas — regardless of their outrageousness — shouldn’t be belittled.
Another teen simply recited the Golden Rule, that others should be treated the same way “you want to be treated.”
Armando Castaneda, a Teen Advisory Board member at the Woodland Public Library, said the motivations behind the workshops was to impart those life skills “not taught in school.”
Castaneda, along with other teens, designed and provided feedback for the Youth Rally Flyer that was distributed throughout Yolo County. The teens decided it was important to note on the flyer that the Youth Rally is paid for by taxpayer dollars, “so parents are aware they are paying for it and more teens attend.”
The Youth Rally was planned through the collective efforts of local teens from the Woodland Public Library’s Teen Advisory Board, Yolo County Elections Office, Yolo County Office of Education, Woodland Community College and UC Davis Early Academic Outreach Program.