This past December, our Rhode Island senior staff Natalia Rosa and Isseniel Rodriguez were honored to judge Generation Citizen’s bi-annual event – Civics Day. They had the pleasure of listening to some intelligent youths present their solutions to the issues they found most important to them and to their communities; the issues ranged from law enforcement, public school funding, and many more.

Students of various age groups ranging from middle school to high school seniors joined together to provide everyone with a unique perspective on their issues and concerns. Our team had the opportunity to speak with a middle school class that went as far as presenting their insight on the public school funding formula to the school board in Providence, Rhode Island.

This incredible group of students truly inspired our team to make a bigger difference for our youth moving forward in 2016. This year, we look to visit some of these civically engaged students in their classrooms to discuss the importance of voting and how voting impacts the issues they are currently covering. Building the bridge between voting and the topics significantly important to them is critical to ensure that these students are motivated to become young voters. During these classroom visits, we hope to register those old enough to vote so that they are provided with the tools to make their voices heard.