Wanted: Students to serve on NL City Council
Youths from high,middle schools can apply for liaison seats,be heard
— The City Council is looking for a couple of young voices to help them in their deliberations.
The council is soliciting applications for two non-voting student liaisons to be filled by a high school and middle school student, said Councilor Reona Dyess, who several years ago began considering ways to get input from the city’s younger residents.
Dyess, the director of The Drop-In Learning Center child care agency and a longtime member of the New London NAACP, said enacting meaningful change in the city requires hearing from the residents it impacts.
“We need those young voices if we want to help our city, we need their feedback, their suggestions,” Deyes said. “We want to let them know their being represented in local government and their being heard.”
Each liaison will serve for one academic year and are expected to share their “thoughts, concerns and ideas” at council meetings, according to an overview of the new positions. Prospective liaisons must live in New London, but can attend any school in the region, or be home-schooled.
The liaison idea is not a new one — most school boards set aside one or two spots for student members — though no other municipal council, board or committee in the region could be found that specifically sets aside slots for school-age representatives.
In putting together her plan, Dyess about six months ago reached out to Board of Education member Bryan Doughty to understand how the liaison proposal could be implemented.
Doughty said the school board has seats for two student liaisons, though only one is currently filled. He said the student reps, while not voting members, are encouraged to participate in board discussions.
“I love the idea of bringing that kind of back-and-forth to the council,” Doughty said on Friday. “For us, we might be in a position to approve
a policy without knowing exactly how it might affect the students. With the liaisons, we get that feedback.”
In the past, school board liaisons, in addition to giving updates on upcoming events such as proms, graduation ceremonies, and fundraisers have also sounded off on topics, including vaccinations.
Dyess said liaison candidates likely won’t be seated until budget season is over in late May. She said students can obtain an application in both English and Spanish on the city’s website. Questions can be directed to Jennifer Startz at jstartz@newlondonct.org.
“My hope is these representatives will serve on the council and go on to continue advocating,” she said. “Maybe that will mean joining the NAACP’s Youth Council or serving in local government themselves.”