To the editor:

This past Tuesday, Sept. 17, a fellow student and I attended the Lawrence City Commission meeting to discuss how and why we should improve pedestrian recycling in downtown Lawrence. We are both executive board members of the Kansas High School Democrats, an organization that aims to educate, engage and unite teens in the Kansas Democratic Party. Currently, one of our goals as an organization is to get teens more involved in their local government. Our visit to the City Commission is the start of an effort we plan to pursue across the state.

One way we hope to get young people more involved in Lawrence government is by implementing more youth representation on city advisory boards. We, as teens, are at a stage in our lives in which we are disenfranchised simply due to the fact that we can’t vote. Teens actively participating in Lawrence city government through advisory boards would not only help the next generation of leaders to grow, learn and be active in their city, but benefit the community as a whole.

All people are inherently equal in value, yet every day the perspectives of minors are generally disregarded. We as a community must set an example and advocate for a significant increase in youth representation. Thus, we implore our city to assist us in working toward giving teens a more active role in Lawrence government through advisory boards.

Morgan Orozco,

Lawrence