Town Hall Meeting for Students on Oct. 9

Town Hall Meeting with Montgomery County Council
Photo | Gandhi Brigade

The Montgomery County Council will learn what is on the mind of younger residents when it hosts its fourth-ever Town Hall Meeting for Students on Oct. 9, at the Council Office Building in Rockville.

Susan Kenedy, a producer for the county’s television station, will moderate the meeting which will take place in the Council’s Third Floor Hearing Room, starting at 7 p.m. A pre-meeting reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the building’s second-floor cafeteria.

Students who wish to attend the meeting are asked to RSVP by calling 240.777.7931. The meeting is open to high school and middle school students from public and private schools from around the County and to students from local colleges. The meeting will allow the participants to let Councilmembers know how they feel about specific issues and also will provide the opportunity to ask questions of the Councilmembers in an organized, but informal, setting.

The meeting will be broadcast live on County Cable Montgomery (CCM—cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and rebroadcast at various times in the weeks following the town hall meeting.

The Council is composed of President Nancy Navarro, Vice President Craig Rice and Councilmembers Phil Andrews, Roger Berliner, Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal and Hans Riemer.

Council President Navarro said that the youth town hall meetings have become learning experiences for both the Councilmembers and the students.

The October meeting is open to high school and middle school students from public and private schools from around the County and to students from local colleges. The meeting will allow the participants to let Councilmembers know how they feel about specific issues and also will provide the opportunity to ask questions of the Councilmembers in an organized, but informal, setting.

Council President Navarro said that the youth town hall meetings have become learning experiences for both the Councilmembers and the students.

“The students who have attended the previous youth town hall meetings have told us that they were excited to be at the Council hearing room and have a chance to talk directly to the Councilmembers,” said Council President Navarro. “But this meeting is about much more than just the experience. We make many decisions over the course of a year that have immediate or long-term impact on the young people in our County. We have learned much from our young residents through the Youth Café programs we started three years ago, but at town hall meetings, we have been presented with issues and perspectives that we might not otherwise hear.”

Council Vice President Rice, who is a member of the Council’s Education Committee, said that hearing the perspectives of students is a great opportunity for Councilmembers.

“So many major decisions concerning education—and students—are made by adults talking with other adults,” said Council Vice President Rice. “But the students often have so much to offer that adults do not necessarily see. We are looking forward to learning about how they see the issues we are discussing and to hearing from them about new things they would like to see us consider.”

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