NUSA Youth Conference serves as training ground for next generation of leaders
By Edward T. Bowser
When brothers JaMarcus and Raylon Pruitt first learned about the NUSA Youth Conference, they just thought it would be a good way to spend time with new friends.
“I was mainly interested in meeting youth my age,” Raylon said.
But what they experienced was a crash course in the political process, giving them the training to one day lead their own neighborhoods.
The youth event is the first of its kind in the 43-year history of the Neighborhoods USA conference, a national nonprofit committed to strengthening neighborhood organizations. About 1,000 neighborhood representatives from across the nation — and even visitors from Japan and Nigeria — made their way to Birmingham’s Sheraton Hotel May 23–26 to share strategies in improving communities. It’s Birmingham’s third time hosting the event, more than any other city.
The youth component aimed to help teens learn the ins and out of city government and inspire them to get involved, said conference co-coordinator Aaron Jackson.
And that inspiration came all the way from the top.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba met with nearly 100 youth Thursday, May 24 to share their personal journeys. Lumumba and Woodfin both lead the largest cities in their respective states while also being the youngest mayors in cities’ histories.
“People counted us out,” Woodfin said. “They told me I was too young, too fresh. But you have to commit to why you’re doing something. Never, ever, be afraid to fail at something you want in life.”
Both mayors reminded the attendees to heed the lessons of First Lady Michelle Obama, “When they go low, we go high.”
“When negativity arises,” Lumumba said, “they will remember how you responded.”
Though most of the nearly 80 attendees, ages 12 to 18, are not yet of voting age, the mayors emphasized that they still are viable members of their community. “You still have power and influence over the decision we make,” Woodfin said.
The youth conference was all about helping participants hone their beliefs to make a difference. It included mock elections, where mayoral and city council candidates created platforms, held debates and acted out campaign commercials. Topics like littering, social media and cyber bullying became the subjects of intense debates.
“I learned a lot about littering,” said Raylon, who was part of a special-interest coalition group that pushed to make littering a crime. “We are working to help keep our streets clean.”
“I admit I littered a lot but after this group it’s helped me to stop,” he said.
JaMarcus, who worked on of the two mayoral campaigns, said the conference taught him that the political process isn’t always easy but it’s rewarding.
“You’ve gotta have patience, you’ve gotta have a lot of time, but in the end it’s important,” he said. “It’s worth it.”
KID NUSA from Mayor Randall Woodfin on Vimeo.
