The Junior City Council by Olivia

The Junior City Council by Olivia - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

I serve as Junior Mayor of a small Alabama town. I was elected to this position by my peers on the Montevallo Junior City Council, a group of middle and high school students dedicated to representing the voice of youth in our community and to being engaged in our town’s civic life. The MJCC began almost 10 years ago as a collaboration between the City, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, and a group of middle school students. The MJCC serves the community through volunteer work and by sponsoring events and projects for young people. It promotes civic engagement among youth and works to inspire them to participate in community life. In 2018, the MJCC was the recipient of an American Civic Collaboration Award.

When the MJCC began, I was too young to join, but was inspired by their work. I waited anxiously for 8th grade to drop my application at City Hall. After I joined the council, I learned Robert's Rules of Order and how to write a good email. I learned how to speak at City Council and other public meetings. I learned how to listen to my constituents and how to represent their voices to community leaders. I learned what it means to be genuinely engaged in the community.

I learned that in order for a community to thrive, everyone has to have a seat at the table. I learned that government and community leaders should represent all of the people that they lead. I learned that without representation, discrimination and inequity remain a threat to our neighbors and friends.

I have been fortunate to be able to speak up for my friends and neighbors as a member of the MJCC and Junior Mayor. When Montevallo was only the second city in Alabama to pass a non-discrimination ordinance that protected the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, it was important that my voice was heard as a representative of my peers who supported expanding civil rights. When our city decided to erect an Equal Justice Initiative Historic Marker at the site of a lynching, it was important that all our voices were heard in support of a reckoning with our racist past.

As Junior Mayor, I learned Robert’s Rules of Order and how to write an email. I also learned how to represent my peers and how to work toward a more equitable, inclusive, and just community.