Youthink: More than a booster seat at the table

May 12, 2008 Portland Press Herald by Justin Ellis.

In school, the lunchroom can be like a chessboard, with players carefully choosing their next move and eventual destination.

People sit with their friends, each group seemingly closed off to prying outsiders.

The same self-selection plays out as the geeks, jocks and everything in between seek each other out.

This poses a dilemma for outsiders, especially if those outsiders happen to be at least a decade older and responsible for how the city operates.

But this was the situation that city councilors, School Committee members, candidates for Congress and the state Legislature faced last week walking into the Portland Youth Summit.

And that's how the in-power and the suddenly empowered came to talk over pasta and brownie sundaes.

The summit was a first-of-its-kind gathering of students from around the city by the youth activism and philanthropy group Youthink.

More than 140 kids were on hand to make new friends and talk about issues facing Portland's young people, such as the lack of all-ages venues, the need for better transportation and the effect of budget cuts on their lives.

And after a morning of discussion, games and even break-dancing, it was time to cue the power lunch.

Huddled off to the side like the new kids from the suburbs were City Councilor David Marshall, School Committee Chairman John Coyne, interim Superintendent Jeanne Whynot-Vickers and Democratic 1st Congressional District candidates Chellie Pingree and Michael Brennan, among others.

That's when the feeding frenzy - literally and figuratively - began.

"So what brought you out here today?" Coyne asked, sitting down with one group.

A few tables away, Brennan asked a table full of students what they thought were the biggest problems facing the country.

"Gas prices," several people shouted.

They were eager to talk about college, and most wanted to attend a school. But the reality is something else.

"I don't think I have the money," said Jamila Abdelkadir, 17.

The topic soon shifted to the presidential race, where more than a few students were in favor of Democrat Barack Obama.

"He knows what it's like, he knows what we all go through," said Sam Yehdego, 18

Across the room, there was more presidential politics, as a group of girls talked with Pingree about Hillary Clinton's chances.

Pingree was curious about whether they thought Clinton should remain in the race.

"She should keep going until they have a nominee," one said.

Waynflete seniors Dana Smith and Amelia Stein said it was nice to talk one-on-one with a politician instead of listening to them on TV.

"It makes a huge difference to talk face to face," Stein said.

It was the ease of sitting down and chatting with Pingree that made the two students wonder why politicians and young people don't talk more often.

"The barrier between adults and kids doesn't have to be so large," Smith said.

Following her lunchtime conversations, Pingree said it's always important to talk to young people.

It's not just that they have specific interests, but they also have a low tolerance for pandering.

"You have to be real with them or they're not going to pay attention to you," she said.

Emily Kelsey, 16, a facilitator from Youthink, said the summit was a lot of work, as much chaos as fun.

Bringing together the city's leaders and its young people - sometimes referred to as "the future" - is about breaking down the barriers to communication and putting both sides on notice, she said.

For students, it shows that no leader is that far out of reach, and for politicians, it's a reminder of a group that goes underserved.

The fact is, Youthink wants to do for young people what's already being done for all adults: build a powerful lobby to bring up their concerns.

At the proverbial table - where cuts are made and programs are won or lost - they're looking for more than a booster seat.

Although it's great to have fun, young people need to know they can have a strong voice in the city if they want it, Kelsey said.

"That," Kelsey said, "is why we did this."

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