Jade C. is a senior at The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of the Bronx.
Last summer, she joined the NYC Votes Youth Ambassador program to educate peers about the importance of exercising their power through elections and the practical steps they can take to register to vote. We asked her to share what inspired her to get involved with her community.
I have many passions, but being civically engaged is one I prioritize. I grew up in the Bronx, the borough with the lowest voter turnout in New York City. With a growing consciousness about the impact voting has on my community, I began to realize how a lack of awareness around issues on the ballot prevented my community from attaining a higher quality of life. Our voting power could combat issues that have had lasting harmful effects in the Bronx, such as deficits in employment opportunities, public health, access to fresh food, and so much more. Because voting access and voter turnout remain stubbornly low, I work to change this pattern for the next generation of the Bronx electorate.
NYC Votes Youth Ambassador
As a proud Youth Ambassador for NYC Votes, I host voter registration drives and present to peers in various schools and community centers in neighborhoods from the South Bronx to Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Due to a lack of civic material in school curriculums, many of my peers did not know that you only have to be 16 years old to pre-register to vote. This is why I decided to bring this information to my school and educate my peers. We must begin educating our generation if we want to shift these challenging conditions. Ultimately, fellow youth ambassadors and I spoke with 559 people this year about the upcoming election and collected 354 new registrations.
Future Plans
In addition to being civically engaged, I am a very active member of both my school and local communities. As former Student Body President, I have learned firsthand the power of networking and social interactions to bring people together to create change. I take pride in being a TYWLS student and will continue to give back to the Student Leadership Network community even after graduation. I look forward to my college options and plan to double major in political science and sociology. I plan to join clubs that will allow me to continue working with voters and meet many unique individuals with diverse perspectives. In college I will explore all that sparks my curiosity, while continuing to be the leader that the TYWLS Bronx community has encouraged me to become!
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