DEVAL PATRICK REACHES OUT TO YOUNG PEOPLE AT FIRST OFFICIAL EVENT AS GOVERNOR
DEVAL PATRICK REACHES OUT TO YOUNG PEOPLE AT FIRST OFFICIAL EVENT AS GOVERNOR
More than 1,000 young people will join Deval Patrick for a first-of-its kind Youth Inaugural on January 4- an event the governor-elect sees as crucial to encouraging citizens of all ages to get involved at a grassroots level in their own communities.
Massachusetts' first-ever Youth Inaugural, to be held at the Shubert Theatre at 3:30 p.m., just hours after the new governor takes the oath of office, underscores his belief in the importance of young people to the future of the Commonwealth.
"Civic engagement-- seeing your stake in your community and acting on that-- is just as important to young people as it is to adults," Patrick said. "Civic engagement is about using your ideas, your voice, your time and your skills to help your community. I want to encourage that spirit of service in young people just as we did among voters during the campaign and will continue to do among all Bay State residents."
Participants in the Youth Inaugural are being drawn from the broad spectrum of Massachusetts youth, including students from public high schools, charter schools, private and independent schools, as well as alternative educational and youth programs. Public school officials in communities across the state were asked to nominate two high school-aged delegates from each school district. Additional outreach to private, independent and other schools yielded hundreds more participants.
A similar forum aimed at middle school students is planned for this spring. A website is also in development for students to exchange ideas after the event is over.
"I am hopeful that the conversation we begin at this event will stimulate further action, both in private and public ways. I am keenly interested in what the youth of our Commonwealth have to say and in what they need to become effective and active citizens in their communities. I want them to become a part of this movement for lasting change," Patrick added.
The program includes an hour-long conversation between the young men and women and their new governor, plus entertainment by the Roxbury-based dance troupe OrigiNation and music by 20-year-old flamenco guitarist Grigory Goryachev of Brookline and the Brockton High School marching band. The Medicine Wheel Youth Group, an arts employment program for teens, will kick off the afternoon leading the audience in an empowerment exercise.
"Governor Patrick hopes to learn three things from the gathering: What motivates young people to get active and engaged in positive ways in their communities? What have they already achieved and what makes their initiatives work? What can his administration do to better cultivate their young voices and to encourage their continued involvement?," said Beverly Morgan Welch, one of the inaugural organizers.
http://mass.gov/Agov3/docs/html//inaug_teen_pr.html