MYV Advertisement @ March 11th School Board Meeting

In many occasions throughout history it’s been noted how one of the very main objectives of any governed population is to be heard with the utmost of attention. It has also been shown and understood in history, the negative effects on an administrative system when voices are not heard. Thus, I intend to bring about knowledge of how such voice and representation is being dealt with at this current point in time, within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
The twenty first century youth are an extremely aware group, not only locally, but globally. With the many events that take priority in this day and age, such as budgets, government decisions and their effect on American lives, it seems that youth voice drowns and fades out in the web of priorities, making them seem anywhere from dull to silent. After a while, these youth minds begin to wonder at the resources that they have around them, and the magnitude of their potential effect. They realize that with the use of their peers, schools, their districts; that they can positively affect the educational environment in which they are enveloped, which in turn directly affects the students themselves. This cycle and its properties have been fully realized by a group of student leaders, forming a group called Mecklenburg Youth Voice.
Mecklenburg Youth Voice has taken note of the long standard cycle for student input to return to those who can truly make a difference in the school system, and subsequently on the education that motivates and prepares students for the future as successful individuals. Mecklenburg Youth Voice, or MYV for short, is here to lend a hand in cranking the wheel for student involvement in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
I quote the Mecklenburg Youth Voice mission statement directly in saying, ‘Mecklenburg Youth Voice is a student-led and growing coalition of high school students seeking to provide opportunities for Charlotte-Mecklenburg youth to have a voice, an understanding of the issues, and a role in local government decision-making. Mecklenburg Youth Voice offers leaders a valuable youth resource to generate positive change in the community’, and quote.
In speaking of student voice, we can even connect to the very matter at hand for tonight’s meeting involving the Anti-Bullying policy. The issues students faced and still face with certain kinds of discrimination within the educational environment have been heard through the voices of students and various adults that have spoken at these meetings, student comments in the classroom setting which have made the issue evident to school staff, and the student reaction to these comments. The process of having students represented through the school they are currently possibly having issues with, or voicing opinions with students and staff that may or may not take them seriously, is simply painful on the student that is trying to be heard. Mecklenburg Youth Voice can offer students with issues in voicing their opinions a way to respectively speak out while in a group that understands student matters maturely; and all of this can be done while staying out of the realm of being an interest group. That balance allows student thoughts to be projected into the CMS administrative pool with respectable and even professional manner. With meetings inside the CMS Education Center with the school board members, school leaders, and Dr. Peter Gorman, Mecklenburg Youth Voice can flow student concerns and ideas to the right people for a positive effect on the educational environment of CMS students.
Mecklenburg Youth Voice serves as a beacon for student representation in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. It gives way for the voices that may not be so clearly heard in the mix of current political matters at hand or simply a tight agenda at their school’s administration in which their thoughts may not be fully comprehended. Especially with the current size of the CMS student body, many voices are inevitably drowned out in the student input process. As Mecklenburg Youth Voice grows, it can respectively give CMS students an even greater venue for their thoughts and ideas to be heard. The contacting process is rather simple; emailing Mecklenburg Youth Voice at meckyouthvoice@gmail.com or contact our advisor and community sponsor, Amy Farrell at amy@kidsvoting.org.
Student voice is an important piece of the educational world. It allows administrative positions the ability to hear the direct effect of policy and has the potential to express concerns involving the academic environment to those who can make a difference in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. With the continued help of our community sponsor and advisor, Amy Farrell, and our CMS staff contact, Earnest Winston, MYV will continue to make student voice be heard. Exercising civic responsibility and student leadership, we are Mecklenburg Youth Voice.

Antar Azan