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SALT LAKE CITY — A student group founded at Alta High School met at the Capitol Tuesday to learn how to make their voices heard at the Legislature.
The group, Students Organized for a Legislative Voice, was sparked from the political passion of 17-year-old Gabby Saunders, a senior at Alta. Saunders said too many of Utah’s youths don’t realize how powerful their voices can be and how they can make an impact in the legislative process by getting involved.
“It’s important that our voices are heard," she said, "because if our voices are not heard, then part of the story is not heard. And I know at 15, 16 and 17 it feels like we do not have that power because we are young, but we don’t have that power unless we take it.
“The issues we care about should be cared about by the state and can be advocated for,” Saunders said.
Seeking a way to encourage her peers to become more politically empowered, Saunders teamed up with her AP American government and politics teacher, Richard Ochoa, and Karla Arroyo from the University of Utah last month to create the group as a platform to mentor students on how to become more civically engaged through participating in local and state government.
Saunders said she and Arroyo knew the group would need to choose an issue that student voices could echo, so she joined with Kendra Wyckoff, executive director of Safe Harbor Shelter, to advocate for ongoing and increased funding to help nonprofit agencies address a social issue that Saunders said many Utah youths can relate to: domestic violence.
Of the roughly 20 group members who joined together Tuesday, many of them had personal experience with domestic violence, Saunders said.
Julee Smith, executive director of the domestic violence shelter Your Community Connection in Ogden, said she was appreciative of the youths who took the time to urge state lawmakers to continue supporting programs that help many Utah families who struggle with domestic violence.
“To me, getting these young people out and having them realize and understand they are a big voice and they will spread the word, this is what we need,” Smith said.
Arroyo said the group has made connections in Corner Canyon High School, University of Utah and Dual Immersion Academy. She said her goal is to eventually expand it to a statewide and eventually as a national school program that could someday provide scholarships to civically engaged students.
“We are trying … to show students that we do have a voice, but our voice will never be heard if we don’t become involved and educated about politics,” Arroyo said.
Saunders said while schools encourage math, science, technology and business through programs such as FBLA, MESA and DECCA, there aren't enough extracurricular programs that offer the same kind of opportunities to students wanting to become more civically engaged, or to encourage more involvement in politics.
Saunders said she hopes Students Organized for a Legislative Voice will “elevate” kids in civic engagement like those other programs do now.
Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, and President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, spoke to and encouraged the group Tuesday. Niederhauser urged the students to look into Legislative internship opportunities to become directly involved in the processes, while Escamilla described how they could most effectively reach out to their representatives and senators.
“It’s really important you express your voices, and this is the venue that you really can speak out from and be heard,” Niederhauser said. Email: kmckellar@deseretnews.com
