Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
DOVER, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons welcomed 140 high school juniors and seniors from 20 different schools across all three Delaware counties to his annual Delegation Youth Conference at Delaware State University alongside U.S. Senator Tom Carper and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) yesterday. The students spent the morning engaging with their federal elected officials in town-hall-style discussions, where they read letters addressed to the delegation about a variety of topics and issues they are interested in as students of the First State.
The students had the opportunity to participate in a service project designed to have real impact on their own communities, as they joined the Food Bank of Delaware for a backpack-stuffing event to provide direct aid to nutritionally insecure students in Delaware. In the afternoon, students joined breakout sessions they selected based on topics of interest. Sessions included a discussion on local government with State Representative Sherry Dorsey Walker (D-Wilmington) and State Representative Mike Smith (R-Pike Creek); a panel on social media and news literacy from WDEL News and Programming Director Chris Carl, DETV Cofounder and Executive Director Ivan Thomas, and Community Issues Reporter at Delaware Online/The News Journal Krys’tal Griffin; and a panel on protecting and preserving the environment with Deputy Director for the Delaware Center for Inland Bays Anna Fagan and Beth Chajes of the Delaware Citizens Climate Lobby, among others.
“My annual youth conference is truly one of my favorite events, and I’m excited I was able to return to hosting a full, in-person youth conference today for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senator Chris Coons. “Providing high schoolers with direct access to their local, state, and federal representatives shows these students that their voice matters no matter how old they are. It reminds them that the concepts they learn about in civics classes aren’t just words on a page, and teaches them that there’s rewarding value in civic engagement, whether they pursue careers in public service or not. I enjoyed talking with students from across the state and I hope they left today with a better understanding of the world around them and newfound belief that not only do they belong in these spaces, but are the future leaders of them.”
“Delaware’s students are some of our nation’s brightest, and it is such a pleasure to join them at the Delegation Youth Conference every year,” said Senator Tom Carper. “It is wonderful to see so many students from all over our great state with an interest in public service, and it was inspiring to hear from them about issues they are passionate about. We are in great hands with these young leaders and I look forward to seeing everything they will accomplish.”
“Each year, I look forward to joining Senator Carper and Senator Coons at the Delegation Youth Conference to hear from Delaware high school students about the issues that are most important to them and to share with them our own experiences with public service,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. “I was so impressed by the drive and dedication that were on full display yesterday from the students and am hopeful they found the conference as engaging as it was informative. These students are the key to our future – and the lessons they learned, skills they gained, and opportunities they discovered yesterday will help them grow into the future leaders our state and nation need.”
“Today is a great opportunity to see some of the people who are already leaders in their schools – and are going to be leaders in Delaware and in the country in the future – and hear from them about their ideas, so we can take their vision back to D.C.,” said Anna Yelverton, Deputy Legislative Director for Senator Coons. “It was exciting to share with them insight into how the legislative process works and connect with them to figure out our mutual priorities and see what we could be doing better.”
Click here for more photos of the event.
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