More than 400 Attendees Show the Power of Youth in Civic Roles during a local Mayoral Forum
On April 1, more than 400 young people and their families from across San Antonio engaged with mayoral candidates at the inaugural Future Ready Bexar County Youth-Led Mayoral Candidate Forum and Resource Fair. This event was designed to amplify youth voices in local elections, educate the community on key issues and inspire voter participation ahead of the upcoming election.
This event was organized by a coalition of young people from Future Ready Bexar County institutional partners, including CAST Schools Network, Futuro San Antonio, Higher Education Advisory Board, NXT Level Path Builders, Project Worth Teen Ambassadors, San Antonio Youth Commission, Trinity University and Youth Do Vote, as well as community civic partner the League of Women Voters San Antonio.
10 of the 27 total San Antonio Mayoral Candidates answered questions developed by young people giving insights to their plans on topics such as mental health, education, and workforce development.
Candidates who were present include:
• Santos Alvarado
• Beto Altamirano
• John Courage
• Adriana Rocha Garcia
• Melissa Cabello Havrda
• Gina Ortiz Jones
• Jade McCullough
• Robert T. Melvin
• Clayton Perry
• Christopher Reyes.
Youth Leaders and Organizers included:
• Audrey, Junior, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, San Antonio ISD
• Deniff, Graduate, University of Texas at San Antonio and Student Election Clerk,
• Julia, Senior, Keystone School and the moderator for the event
• Leona, Senior, CAST Lead High School, East Central ISD
• Michael, Student, University of Texas at San Antonio
Young people and their families also had the chance to register to vote, receive voter education materials and civic engagement resources. They also had access to speak to the Mayoral candidates after the forum.
