TrueStar Staff 
With the Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicking off this week in Chicago, tons of politicians and delegates will come out to support the presidential nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris. Our question is how can the youth join in on some of this action?
Recently, True Star visited a mock DNC Convention for the youth of Chicago hosted by Kehrein Center for the Arts on the West Side. Many students from all over the city came out to learn about the democratic process and how they can be involved.
When we walked into the building, they presented us with three different selections of shirts: red for Republicans, green for Independents, and blue for Democrats. The kids were separated by their shirt colors to represent the different political groups and open their understanding about each party.
This event featured speakers who talked to the students about what’s happening in their communities, the city, the government, and our democracy. They did a wonderful job highlighting the importance of our young people getting into the voting booths and becoming politically involved as it will affect their futures. Students were also able to engage in workshops and activities teaching them the present state of our government and even the history on how it came to be.
In the end the students wrapped up with group presentations, featuring storyboards, posters, made-up songs, and more, all showcasing what they learned from the experience. Something interesting I learned was that due to legislation that was recently passed, 16-17 year olds, which includes me, can now register to vote!
To conclude the event, students were separated back into their “parties” and instructed to nominate a leader, similar to the nomination process occurring at the actual DNC convention. The three nominated leaders of each party all were given brand new iPads in their candidacy.
Overall, there were many great takeaways from this mock DNC event, and it made an impact on many of the students in attendance.
Ayanna McCarthy, a senior at Lindblom Math & Science Academy, said, “I thought it was a really informative event. I feel like it’s so important for our youth to learn about voting and the democratic party and all these things, especially since it’s not taught in schools as frequently as it should be.”
By Madisyn Godbolt, Junior, Lindblom Math & Science Academy
Instagram: @Madisynced
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