West Slope Youth Voice posing with Senator Dylan Roberts. Photo provided by Annika Fitzgerald.
Speaking up is the most important thing someone can do to make a difference and develop a community. In such an isolated location like the Western Slope, the youth population frequently struggles to make their voices heard. However, non-partisan organization West Slope Youth Voice (WSYV) strives to engage young people in local democracy and advocate for student issues with elected leaders. The program is led by students throughout the Grand Valley who aim to improve local issues that affect youth.
Annually, WSYV attends a lobby trip to talk with legislators, testify, and lobby for important bills, ranging from accessible food sources and cell phone bans in schools. Visiting the state capitol in Denver is always an educational experience and undoubtedly contributes to personal growth. Junior Annika Fitzgerald comments, “When I was talking to my representatives, I was hit with the realization that I am talking to a person that makes laws that affect us. That definitely contributed to the way I think about politics.”
There were several meetings with different politicians, igniting productive conversations from student to leader. Some of these meetings were scheduled in professional offices and committee rooms while others were sporadic, in random hallways and even the capitol cafeteria. Fitzgerald reflects on a positive interaction with Representative Elizabeth Velasco. “We all had a chance to talk about a personal grievance or specific focus. She was engaged, listened, and replied thoroughly. After a long day at the capitol, this conversation felt reinforcing. It made me feel represented as a youth in Colorado because of the way she listened to us so attentively,” says Fitzgerald.
Representing such an important community, like youth and students living on the Western Slope is overwhelmingly significant. “This experience made me realize that we have a somewhat accessible government. With a program like WSYV, that does the work for you to get there, we are able to talk to legislators face to face,” Fitzgerald concludes. Not everyone can go to the capitol, so WSYV takes up the torch to advocate for them. Creating changes starts with representation and speaking up, which is exactly what occurred on March 10th at WSYV’s lobby trip to the state capitol.