Ground Truthing

In 2013, the Westchester Children’s Association launched the Vote for Kids campaign that aims to elevate Westchester’s children and youth to the top of the public agenda among candidates, elected officials, media and the general public during the upcoming elections. Vote for Kids provides tools to help child advocates, parents, caretakers or community members – keep children’s issues at the forefront of this election cycle. In the past, the campaign has reached out to politicians, asking how they will put children and families first. However, this year we put local student at the forefront. In a meeting at Berkley College on September 27, we spoke with 16 students between the ages of 14 and 17 who participate in the White Plains Youth Court. They told us what they like about their local communities, what needs to be improved, and what they wish politicians would speak about more often. Overall, the students implored politicians and other adults to listen to them and their peers. Much like Ever Mack at the