By Sydney Emery, Fort Myers High School and YMCA Youth in Government student
Going into my fourth year as a student in the YMCA Youth in Government program, I have learned a lot about government and civics. But taking part in the USF St. Petersburg-YMCA Civics Fellows Program opened my eyes in new ways to how government impacts our daily lives.
For eight years, the USF St. Petersburg Center for Civic Engagement has partnered with the YMCA on a program designed to enhance civic education in the state by giving high school students like me hands-on experiences in government and public service. Students from all across Florida have the opportunity to gain six college credits while enhancing their knowledge about civics.
A visit to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections highlighted all the preparation that goes into running elections.
It concludes with a week-long residential Summer Institute, hosted on the USF St. Petersburg campus every June, where high schoolers are immersed in local and county government. The goal is to encourage youth like me to be civically engaged and I am just that after finishing up the program.
One of the main lessons I learned was the huge impact local government makes on citizens. You can't call your state or federal legislators to fix a pothole or call about garbage collection, that's all municipal. Most of the everyday things that impact us go back to our county commissioners, our city council or our public works department. The list goes on.
During the week, we had the honor of meeting a lot of local government officials such as Mayor Ken Welch of St. Petersburg, Mayor Leslie Waters of Seminole and Pinellas County Commissioner Renee Flowers. Each encounter with a government official was incredibly insightful. We learned about the difference between a city with a strong mayor vs. a city with a city manager as well as how a chamber of commerce operates.
We also had the honor to speak with former Governor Charlie Crist and former Speaker of the Florida House Chris Sprowls. We heard about the similarities and differences in their journeys to become elected officials and their time in office.
A beach cleanup with Keep Pinellas Beautiful.
Aside from elected officials, the institute consisted of a range of speakers from the world of government such as lobbyists and political aides. Some common themes that emerged out of these presentations were the importance of being a good communicator/speaker, the vital role we each play in our system and how many in this field got their start with political campaigns. It doesn't take much to go out there and work on a campaign, but it does take you far, as you make connections and you gain soft skills.
We even got to speak with other civically-engaged youth in Uganda over a video call, where we learned about their National Youth Parliament and their World Clean Up Day. Students there discussed how their community has evolved from one of conflict to one focused on accountability and education. Even with an ocean separating us, we both share the same passion for community engagement and improving the world around us.
The Summer Institute is led by USF St. Petersburg Political Science Professor Judithanne McLauchlin, and throughout the week she reminded us all about the importance of voting and how the overall process of elections works. To further emphasize these points, we got to speak with the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections and tour their facility. This tour gave us a chance to really learn about all the preparation that goes into elections. For example, I never knew how long an election really takes, as you have to consider early voting, vote by mail, soldiers voting overseas and provisional ballots into consideration.
Sydney Emery meets with Eric Eisenberg, senior vice president for USF Office of Strategic Partnerships, during his talk to the group on effective communications.
As I mentioned before, the goal of this program is to become engaged in your community, so of course we did some of that by volunteering during the week! A beach cleanup with Keep Pinellas Beautiful was both fun – we made a competition out of trash pickup – and eye opening - seeing how much trash ends up on our beaches and how much work is still needed to improve our environment. Time at the Ronald McDonald House was incredibly moving as we saw how much of an impact this organization makes on families. We were all given various jobs at the house like baking, assembling milestone cards provided to families after their baby gets out of the NICU and cleaning. It was rewarding that we got to support their mission in some small way.
My experience at the Summer Institute was incredibly insightful and fun. It was inspiring to see youth from all over Florida come together for one goal – to be engaged civically and support their community. I hope to bring all that I learned back in St. Petersburg to my community, whether it is participating in a beach cleanup or going to a city council meeting to give a speech or proposal. This is one experience that will stay with me.