By Regina Stracqualursi ’15
Siena students joined with members of the Capital Region community to participate in the College’s annual community forum about engaging and empowering the area’s youth.
Community Forum 3.0 Youth as an Untapped Resource is sponsored by the Office of Academic Community Engagement. This year, the completely student-led event focused on the role that youth play in influencing political policy. It covered a variety of topics, including college access, student loan debt, LGBTQ youth, food access and insecurity, environmental activism and voter registration.
“A lot of times people who are trying to implement change and go against the grain of our communities can begin to feel like they’re in the fight alone,” said sociology major Taylor Booth ’15, a student facilitator for the event. “The Community Forum is a positive environment for change makers and even just people interested in change to gather, discuss and support each other through some barriers or challenges they face.”
Siena students from different majors and class levels worked with students from several local schools and organizations, including Albany Leadership Charter High School, Albany High School, Albany Youth Build, Schenectady High School and Schenectady Youth Build. Their goal was to help the teens understand how to take a leadership role in influencing policies that affect them.
The Forum opened with a presentation called, “Making Policy Accessible to Youth,” by Professor of Economics Scott Trees, Ph.D. In his address, Trees urged all young adults to recognize the power they hold in politics, especially with modern technology.
“Send an email to your Congressman. Write a letter to the editor,” said Trees. “You guys can do something all the time.”
Throughout the day, participants attended a variety of workshops where they were able to work with organizations from the local community, including Siena’s Damietta Cross Cultural Center, Mediation Matters, Pride Center of the Capital Region and Bethlehem Youth Court.
The afternoon session featured presentations from Siena College President Br. F. Edward Coughlin, O.F.M., Ph.D., social work major Joanna Bebber ’15 and Assistant Director of the Siena Research Institute Peter Cichetti.
The day closed with a panel discussion between students and local community leaders. The panelists included Mayor of Albany Kathy M. Sheehan, City School District of Albany Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D., Albany County District Attorney David Soares and Schenectady City School District Superintendent Larry Spring.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the day was connecting and sharing with students, not only Siena, but from the local high schools,” said American studies major Mary-Kate Browne ’16. “A lot of the high school kids were really focused on making a difference in their communities and it was refreshing to see.”
The Office of Academic and Community Engagement works to connect Siena students and faculty with people and organizations within the Capital Region to spark real, sustainable community change. Click here to learn more about the programs offered through ACE.
