Menlo students and families gathered on the Loop for the “Turn up and Turn Out” event, a civic education event sponsored by venture firm NosTerra on Sept. 21. Booths representing various advocacy groups lined the Loop, with a stage set up for panels of elected officials and experts. Although this civic education fair represented organizations and individuals across the political spectrum, they all had one goal in common: posing different opportunities for students to get involved in politics.
Attendees were able to engage with nonprofits at over 30 booths, ranging from pre-registering to vote with the League of Women Voters to playing a Jeopardy-style game with Fresh Lifelines for Youth. Attendees then had the opportunity to pick between four breakout rooms: “Is Deliberation an Antidote to Polarization,” “Navigating News You Can Use: Media Literacy for Citizens,” “AI & Democracy,” and “Beyond Voting: How and Why to Get Involved Locally.”
Towards the end of the event, a panel of local representatives shared their experience in politics, and U.S. Congressman Kevin Mullin (D-CA) spoke.
Later Mullin spoke with the Coat of Arms. “[What’s important is] ongoing civic engagement for young people, because they will be the leaders of tomorrow, and I’m sure I met some of them today,” Mullin said. Neil Chase, the CEO of CalMatters – a nonpartisan newsroom focused on California politics and policy – agreed with this sentiment. “It’s really important for youth to support democracy because this is the democracy that they’re inheriting,” Chase said.
Beyond underlining the importance of youth involvement, speakers shared their personal political journeys and provided advice for students. South San Francisco Mayor James Coleman was sworn in as mayor at age 24, the youngest ever in city history. Coleman shared that his political journey started during the pandemic after being evacuated from his college campus. “A lot of young people and I started going to city council meetings, for the first time in our lives [and] started advocating for change and reform,” he said.
A consistent theme throughout each elected official’s speeches at the “Turn Up and Turn Out” event was that, like Coleman, their path to public service was not linear. “For me, I didn’t serve an elective office till I was 37,” Mullin said. “It took me a while to sort of figure out what my path was going to be. So don’t be discouraged by setbacks.” Mullin encourages students to not be afraid to experiment and expose themselves to as many issues as possible. “Over time, you will find what it is that drives you,” Mullin said. “But that could take some time. It doesn’t necessarily happen when you’re 17 or 18”
East Palo Alto Mayor Antonio Lopez (‘12) also provided advice for Menlo students. “In this space, there are future politicians, future senators, future council members, so never be afraid of trying something,” he said. “[Don’t let] anyone say you’re too young, you’re too inexperienced.”
