As the leaves change color in preparation for a season of hibernation, our students are bringing a different kind of change to the West Slope, starting with their name!

What was formerly West Slope Youth Vote is now West Slope Youth Voice!

Our interns have once again taken the lead to tell us what will make this program successful, and that starts with a slight name change that could make a big difference.

So why the change? Voter registration and voter activation is still the primary focus of the program, but it can also be barrier for students who might be afraid to ask questions, or hesitant to get involved. And while encouraging students to get engaged early is the goal, harnessing the power of their voices to demand youth be represented at all levels of our government is the way our interns aim to do it.

And so far, it’s working. This change in name hasn’t slowed them down, in fact, it’s helped them pick up the pace. From community events to in-school booths and classroom presentations, our students have been busy registering their peers to vote and surveying them to identify issues most important to youth. And with a more accessible name, students are flocking to their booths to learn from their peers and share their perspectives.

They’ve got a lot to discuss with their peers this year. They’re celebrating the passage of HB21-1119, a bill drafted by local students with Representative Janice Rich that passed out of the legislature this year. (You can read more about the legislation the students were following and their results in the 2021 legislative session in the students’ annual Western Youth Issues Report, hot off the presses and available at our website.)

But they are also sounding the alarm on an increasingly urgent need for students to get involved, even before they are eligible to vote.

This year the theme seems simple but comes with a big message: “Don’t Sit on the Sidelines.” Our interns are looking to harness the power of student voices whether they are old enough to vote or not. Because the moment they graduate, reality for them seems a bit bleak. Since their grandparents graduated, the cost for students to attend college is up almost 300%. And debt after graduation is even higher, at an almost 1,000% increase. With rising costs for goods and services and a failure to raise the minimum wage, wages are down 20%, yet rent is 50% higher and the cost of health insurance is at an all-time high.

High school students are graduating into an unequal economy and aren’t hopeful that older generations will save the day. So this year’s focus — Don’t Sit on the Sidelines — encourages students to stand up, raise their voices, and take action now. Millennials and Gen Z will be the largest voting block within the decade and our elected leaders should be listening now. So whether it’s as simple as a name change, or as big as passing legislation at the Capitol, our interns are ready to take on the challenge.

Watch their new video here:

And please check out the 2021 Western Youth Issues Report, prepared by the WSYV students.  You can read it on our website or download a PDF here!

P.S. For more information about West Slope Youth Voice, please contact me at jeriel@westerncoloradoalliance.org.