It's our turn to listen

Association will provide a platform for youth concerns in 2010

We've all heard the old saying, "children are better seen, not heard." My presidential initiative this year is to make sure we actually hear our children.

My goal is to heighten awareness among county leaders about the issues impacting youths and also to encourage county officials to help youths become engaged with and aware of county government. At our December meeting, the NCACC Board of Directors approved a plan for a program to encourage county commissioners to examine issues that affect North Carolina's young people, culminating with a series of sessions and speakers at our 2010 Annual Conference, which will be held Aug. 26-29 in Pitt County.

The program will begin in earnest this April at our district meetings. We will invite local youths to address attendees and discuss issues that are important to them. While as elected officials we may think we know about the issues that are important to the next generation, it is always refreshing to get their perspective.

At our Annual Conference we will convene a youth summit. Working with Cooperative Extension at N.C. State University, we will invite high school juniors and seniors from across the state to attend. These students will hold a summit to identify key issues and concerns faced by our next generation and will make recommendations to our NCACC Board of Directors. We will consider these recommendations as we begin putting together our legislative goals package in the fall.

Throughout the year, the Board of Directors and NCACC staff will be working with representatives of various state agencies and organizations that work with young people to examine what kinds of programs and services are being offered for youths and to determine better ways in which all levels of government can help meet their needs.

While the hope is that the students will come away with a better understanding of the complexity of the issues facing counties, I also hope that county leaders will benefit from their interactions with the students. As elected county commissioners, we know that the decisions we make today will determine what kind of communities our children inherit.