Salinas youth host candidate forum
Four days before the election, teens in east Salinas are encouraging people to vote.
On Friday night, members of the “Youth for Change” group hosted the first-ever youth-led community forum with mayoral and city council candidates.
“We noticed that the importance of voting wasn’t out there for the people, and we wanted to get that out,” said Belen Calderon, a junior at Everett Alvarez High School.
Young people in east Salinas are hoping those who can vote will take local elections seriously.
After going door to door for a month, the “Youth for Change” group hosted a community forum because they say there’s no age limit when it comes to making a difference.
“Youth is our future, but if we don’t make a change right now, what will our future be?,” Calderon asked.
Calderon can’t vote yet, but she wants to encourage people to be a part of the political process.
“If you have the right to vote, and you can, might as well make a difference. Make the choices while you can and not let others take it for you,” Calderon said.
To help people make informed decisions, young people asked city council candidates about housing, the city’s budget, and youth programs, and those who showed up were impressed.
“I’m surprised that it was organized by the young people and the questions were created by the young people,” Salinas resident Roberto Ramirez said.
Joel Hernandez has been advising the group, and says he’s proud.
“The youth have been working extremely hard. They have so much energy. The question is not what they are doing, is who they are becoming,” Hernandez said.
