Santa Fe High School junior Amelia Balwit is passionate about government and issues such as global climate change.

She’s also interested in a career in politics and already is involved in local issues as a member of the Mayor's Youth Advisory Board and starting a democratic socialists club at her school.

“This is one of the ways that I feel like I can connect with the community and also learn from other people, develop my own opinions and get my voice out there, too,” she said about the advisory board.

The board meets monthly, often with sponsor Councilor Alma Castro, to plan programs for the Santa Fe Teen Center, develop recommendations for city leaders and work on issues such as mental health and substance abuse.

“It’s been a great way to take an active stance on bettering the community,” said Bodhi Lewis, a senior at Mandela International Magnet School who has been on the board for more than a year.

The city of Albuquerque has a similar Mayor's Youth Advisory Council made up of high school students.

“We’re grateful to have so many young people dedicated to improving our communities and pushing us all to step up and take action,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. “Young people are advocating on critical issues like gun violence and access to educational opportunities.”

Getting young people involved in government and politics is incredibly important, said Hannah Wood, state director of New Mexico Youth and Government, a nonpartisan program of the YMCA of Central New Mexico.

“Teaching students what the process looks like makes it less intimidating when they have an issue that they want to talk to their elected representative or to a public official about,” she said.

New Mexico Youth and Government is a civic education and leadership training program that teaches students about the importance of engagement, voting and active participation in the democratic process. Through a model government program, high school students take on roles in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of state government. They attend training, learning skills such as how to write a bill, choose a gubernatorial cabinet or argue a court case. Then, the students attend a three-day conference at the Capitol where they play out their roles.

“We try to model it as closely as we can to the real thing and really teach students about how our state government works so that they understand,” Wood said. “It really helps to break down barriers and make it more accessible to them.”

The program will expand with a middle school conference this year and is starting a group of students to lobby for youth issues at the next legislative session. “It's very impactful to have students sit in front of a legislator to advocate for issues that directly affect kids.”

Youth and Government participants are more likely than nonparticipants to register to vote and engage in politics, according to polling by the organization.

In Santa Fe, the Youth Advisory Board students are doing just that when they engage with city elected officials and other young people.

“It’s a platform for us youth to share our perspective in the city,” said board member Charlie Chapman, a Mandela senior.

The board put on a youth symposium in October to learn what’s important to middle and high school students.

Aseneth Ultreras, who joined the board as a high school student and now is studying political science and social work at New Mexico Highlands University, gave a presentation at the symposium about health issues and the loneliness many young people have been struggling with since COVID.

She said she wants to work with youth and help young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, access the resources they need to succeed.

For many of the board members, activism and community engagement have become part of their lives. Elise Gutierrez, a junior at St. Michael’s High School, has gone door-to-door for campaigns, for example. She and the other students — and other experts —suggest ways youth can become active in their communites:

• Get involved in your political party or a cause you believe in
• Volunteer to take part in political campaigns or voter registration drives
• Reach out to your city councilor or even your mayor to share your views
• Attend a local government meeting
• Join youth activism organizations such as the RISE Youth Collective, facebook.com/RISEYouthNM, in Santa Fe

The state Public Education Department maintains a list of youth engagement resources at webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/languageandculture/youth-engagement-resources.