Marion County Commission on Youth training next generation of youth advocates

Rory Appleton
Indianapolis Star

I'm just a bill

Yes, I'm only a bill

And I'm sitting here in a conference committee because the House rejected the Senate's amendments

Explaining Indiana's complex state legislative process to children and other civic newcomers is a little more involved than the 50-year-old "Schoolhouse Rock" song, but it still serves as the starting point for a wall display in the Marion County Commission on Youth's office. 

An interactive wall graphic Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, inside the Marion County Commission on Youth's Indianapolis office will track the process of state bills as they potentially become law.

Public policy and advocacy director Sarah Williams conceived of "the board" as both an organizational and educational tool. It starts with "Schoolhouse Rock," uses different color Post-it notes and string to denote where various House and Senate bills of interest are in the process, and end with either a photo of Gov. Eric Holcomb, signifying success, or a gravestone noting the legislation's demise. 

Sarah Williams, the Marion County Commission on Youth's (MCCOY) public policy director, stands near an interactive wall graphic Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, insider her Indianapolis officer. MCCOY aims to make sure Central Indiana's youth, "thrive, learn, engage and contribute." The ever-changing, live graphic explains the process of how state bills become laws.

The Commission has taken an active role in advocating for the needs of Indianapolis' youth since its inception in the late '80s, but it has recently ramped up training and empowerment opportunities for high school students hungry to make a political impact. 

"As a lobbyist working at the statehouse, legislators don't care so much, to be honest, to hear from me," Williams said. "They want to hear from people who are really being affected by these laws. If they can hear from young people directly — it's just so much more powerful of an advocacy campaign."

The Commission hosts regular advocacy trainings for children and adults. Last year, it hired a youth empowerment and engagement director, whose duties include staffing an in-house youth commission and the mayor's office's youth leadership council — a collection of 25 high school students from around the city who learn about the mechanisms of government and advise city officials on issues affecting children. 

Marion County Commission on Youth's Indianapolis office Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.

Williams said today's high schoolers are looking to take a much more active role in issues that affect them directly, such as climate change or gun reforms in the wake of continued school shootings. 

"If young people are given the opportunity to be in the room where these decisions are made, then it's our hope they can really create a lot of change and be empowered to continue this work as they grow into adults," Williams said. 

Williams hopes some students will be able to shadow her during her lobbying work and testify at several hearings this year. 

The Commission was created as a city-county government organization with a mission of improving the lives of Indianapolis' children. It would split into an independent nonprofit in 1993, but President and Executive Director John Brandon said the mission remains the same. 

"We actively speak up for and on behalf of young people and families and their needs," Brandon said. "We want our policy makers to know that the decisions they make have a direct impact on the well-being of young people."

In addition to advocacy, the Commission creates an expansive annual list of after-school programs, activities and support options for families, and it acts as a primary intermediary for various youth organizations, businesses and government entities. 

Sarah Williams, the Marion County Commission on Youth's (MCCOY) public policy director, sits at her desk Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, insider her Indianapolis officer. MCCOY aims to make sure Central Indiana's youth, "thrive, learn, engage and contribute."

Brandon said a secondary goal is giving Indiana's best and brightest young Hoosiers a sense of community involvement that may keep them here rather than leaving the state — something he believes has been a major problem for years. 

What is your organization's mission?

"I would say our mission is to make sure that every young person in our community has unfettered and equitable access to all the supports and opportunities they need, which will lead them to a successful adult life," Brandon said. 

The Commission's advocacy priorities in the upcoming legislative session include support for parents and caregivers, education funding, climate change, social justice and continued work around teen mental health — an area in which it has successfully lobbied for bullying prevention and suicide awareness in the past. 

How many people do you serve?

The Commission's annual resources booklet went out to more than 15,000 Marion County families this year, Brandon said. It trained some 500 youth workers and is part of at least two dozen community initiatives and meetings. 

Brandon said he hopes the commission's intermediary and advocacy work, though harder to quantify, is reaching most of Marion County's 240,000 young people. 

What is your No. 1 need?

"We need people to know and join us in what we're working towards," spokeswoman Madi Gregory said. 

How can people get involved?

The Commission is always looking for volunteers willing to lend their time and voices towards various youth-related causes or serve on its boards, as well as financial donations. 

Donations can be made online or at 1375 W. 16th Street. 

The Commission's website also includes a form for anyone looking to volunteer or serve on a board.

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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryDoesPhonics.