The concept of awareness is fast becoming commonplace in American culture. There are movements for technological awareness, personal health awareness, environmental awareness, historical awareness.  The list is nearly endless.

But the type of cognizance which is often most difficult to spread and certainly most affects the viability of our democracy is political awareness. In recent election years, voter turnout has been disappointingly low—the last time more than half of eligible American citizens voted in a mid-term election was 1982—and there is legitimate cause for concern regarding the stability of our nation’s form of government if people simply stop caring about politics.

It is my opinion that all American citizens have a responsibility to their cities, states and country to vote in elections ranging from communal to national importance when they become eligible, so the staggeringly low voter participation in recent years is particularly troubling to me.

However, I was greatly encouraged and relieved upon seeing a surefire solution as to how to get more people politically active at a debate between candidates for the City of Clayton’s Board of Aldermen and the Clayton School District’s Board of Education held on March 31st.

The debate was held in the CHS commons in conjunction with Clayton’s Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC), an organization I was vaguely familiar with—as several of my friends participate in it—but of which I had little prior knowledge. I had been asked to do a live blog of the event for this newspaper’s website (you can read it by going to the following link:https://www.chsglobe.com/online/2011/03/candidate-forum-liveblog/) and was excited to have the opportunity to hear the various candidates promote their platforms. I fully expected a spirited debate, which the forum delivered.

What I didn’t expect was to see so many members of the MYAC actively involved in the debate.

In fact, MYAC members oversaw the entire evening’s proceedings, mediating and documenting the debate, fielding questions from audience members, and timing each candidate’s responses to ensure the forum was efficient.

I was thoroughly impressed and decided to investigate the organization further by visiting their website. What I found was an exemplary model for connecting young citizens with local politicians and prominent community figures.

The organization gives youth a much needed opportunity to see the inner workings of Democracy and provides input relating to issues that are important to them.

Young people often perceive of national and certainly global political issues to be daunting. They are complex, multi-faceted, and difficult to connect to because of how distant they seem from our daily lives. Often times, it is difficult for younger Americans to find their political bearings.

However, the partnership between the City of Clayton and MYAC is so unique and successful because it allows maturing Claytonites to acquaint themselves with a type of politics that is extremely accessible and has ramifications that can be seen right outside their front doors.

It was precisely for this reason that CHS Junior Drake Pinkston decided to apply for the MYAC.

“I first became involved with the MYAC when I applied in the spring of my sophomore year,” Pinkston said. “I saw a poster up around school advertising the MYAC looking for incoming juniors and seniors so I submitted my application because I wanted to build a solid foundation of knowledge about government.”

The MYAC helps students find their political bearings by allowing its members to serve on various committees for the year—ranging from Parks and Recreation to the Chamber of Commerce—and holding regular meetings to allow the members to discuss their experiences with each other. CHS Junior and MYAC member Maria Massad considers these gatherings to be an integral part of the program’s success.

“We meet about once every two months, and at these meetings everyone on the MYAC comes together to discuss the goings on of local government,” Massad said.  “I was assigned to the environmental committee and so I attend their meetings. I follow what they’ve been doing and report back to the MYAC about their activities. The other people from the other committees come and share what they learned about the committee they attend, so I get a feeling of what is going on throughout the entire local government through these reports, which is really informative.”

The MYAC also emphasizes that community participation is a privilege and reserves the right to remove any member from the council should they fail to meet a set list of standards, among which are the requirement that each member attend 67% of his or her committee’s meetings and that each member refrain from dishonorable behavior.

As Pinkston alluded to, the results of such a focused effort are resoundingly positive.

“MYAC has really ignited the desire within me to take an active role in our government,” Pinkston said. “Even though some of us are not of voting age yet, we do want to get our peers involved–we’ve had a successful voting drive for example—and I’m really grateful to be a part of this program.”

By focusing first on a local scale, MYAC is ensuring that its members will gradually develop a genuine understanding of the fundamentals of politics, a knowledge which will allow them to appropriately develop the skills necessary to understand completely and participate fully in both the American and international political arenas.

If other communities in the U.S. follow MYAC’s lead, there is reason to believe that our country’s political landscape can be changed to the better.

“It [having multiple organizations like the MYAC across the country] would really allow the younger generation to start early and understand and participate in their government and realize that even the smallest amount of input can make a significant difference in government,” Pinkston said. “In turn, people will be more inclined to vote and become educated about the issues that will affect them.”