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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020_08_19 005 Youth In Government City Council PresentationYouth in Government 2020 Final City Council Presentation Students:Abhinav Patkar,Alexandre Paquier,Angad, Singh,Angelina Hong,Anika Ramanathan,Chloe Lee, Emily Choi,Esther Luan,Justin Guo,Karishma Goswami,Keon Nikfar,Meghana Simhadri,Natalie Lager,Safia Peer,Suraj Mehrotra,and Tina Zhong. Esther Luan ●New perspective of community issues, which can be applied to my advocacy work ●See more sides when looking at policy in the future ●Be able to weigh the different factors that go into implementing a policy and supporting feasible ones ●Considering a career in government Meghana Simhadri During this program, I learned about: -the inner -workings of local government -how essential teamwork is in government -new activities to participate in -how I can better be involved in the government and the community In the future, I hope to engage more with decision making in Saratoga and continue learning about the ways I can impact others. Justin Guo -This program has opened up the world of government to someone who had little knowledge of city government. Not only did I learn the different branches and parts of city government like Saratoga, I was also exposed to possible solutions to modern world problems like climate change and wage gap. I will be able to use these solutions in the future to try to create positive change and help the world. Emily Choi ●How the city of Saratoga runs, including all of our facilities and partners ●Minimal -service city: many of our services are outsourced ●Making more informed decisions on utilizing my civic capacity to impact local government ●Motivated to have my voice be heard in local government ●How long and involved the process of getting an idea discussed on the board and passed ●Feedback: elongate the program Angelina Hong During this course I learned -how elections work -the different departments -what it takes to be a person in a role of government. Though I personally don’t plan to go into government, the knowledge I gained will definitely help me when I want to speak out about topics I’m passionate about. This course also improved my public speaking skills which will help a ton in the future. Keon Nikfar I learned a lot from this program. Many of the topics we covered during our sessions, I had no idea about prior. -I learned how a city council operates and how policies are made. -I learned of all the different roles of the city council -I was exposed to some of the jobs are and what they do. -I will consider a government job in the future Chloe Lee Prior to participating in the Youth in Government program, I did not have much experience or knowledge about local governments. However, through this opportunity, I learned about how our local government runs, and the demanding work that is done behind the scenes for the best community. The program took me to step by step to give me a better understanding of our city, with detailed experiences from panelists who took time from their busy schedules, which were all very inspiring and something to look up to, considering how much work they do and what they still learn from their careers. I was able to find my interest in politics and to consider working as a part of the government in the future. Tina Zhong Through this program, I learned about the structure and procedures of the city council. I am also now more familiar with the different departments and programs in Saratoga. I also got a better understanding of the jobs in law enforcement, library, and more. I enjoyed working on the different assignments and learned how to better analyze situations with either the PEST or pro/con tables. I also learned how to directly impact and help the community. Overall, the program is very comprehensive and I would recommend other teenagers to participate in the future. Anika Ramanathan The Youth in Government program really helped me understand how the Saratoga city government works. Before I joined this class, I had no experience in the local government, and I knew very little about the processes of creating new policies, who our community partners are, what the different departments do. The YIG program has certainly helped me learn a lot about our local government. This class gave me a much clearer picture of our city and what we as students and residents of Saratoga can do to help our community. Suraj Mehrotra I learned a lot in this program, but some very special things I learned and that I will probably need going forward is how council meetings are run, how everyone in the local government force works together to achieve things (mayor relies on staff, etc). I learned about lots of different volunteer opportunities and careers of people who work for government. I learned a lot about the city and how the complex systems run. This course is definitely a great resource that I would love to be a part of again. Angad Singh This program was one of the most interactive programs I have been a part of. I really valued getting to meet important city members, such as councilmembers, and even the mayor! I’m sure if the program was in person, we could have experienced a lot more, though. We were able to specifically take looks at different aspects of Saratoga and what keeps it running. Being so in -depth is also what gave this program value. Having an introduction to local government will also help me as I get more and more serious about my education. Karishma Goswami This program was a great experience for me, and I am so glad I got the chance to participate! I loved all of the group projects we had during the program because they gave us the chance to put the lessons we learned into practice, and they gave us a chance to meet and work with new people despite the fact that the program had to be done remotely. I also found the panels very interesting, and I liked how we got to meet different people and learn about their individual experiences working in local government. I learned a lot from the commission's how I can be more active in the city, and would love to start volunteering with some of them. Safia Peer The Youth in Government program was an extremely rewarding experience for me -I learned so much about the crucial role of the government -I learned about previous government projects and all they have done to help our community -I found out about amazing new volunteering opportunities -Most importantly, I learned about different ways I can voice my opinions -I would definitely like to be a part of the government in the future! Alex Paquier This program has taught me a lot about our history and government which I find to be crucial to a Saratogan’s life. I also learned the process of becoming a council member and how much they have to sacrifice for their city. This program embedded fun and learning together which makes for a very fun experience. Since my mom is an active member of the community, it’s nice to know what she does and to appreciate what she’s going through. I find it mind blowing that everyone on the council is basically a volunteer. Another awesome thing was meeting the mayor, which I thought was beneficial to our learning experience. Abhinav Patkar I had an amazing time during this program and got to see and learn about many things such as: -Meet our local leaders, even our mayor! -How city council makes decisions and the process they go through -How I can make change in my community -A better understanding of our local government and national Natalie Lager ●Mock city council meeting ○As mayor, I learned that I had to mostly listen to others ○Importance of public participation in government ○As staff, I learned about how Saratoga combats climate change ●Learned how to become engaged with community partners ●Considering going into government in the future This concludes our presentation. Thank you!