Seventeen-year-old Kelli Crews of Stockbridge said a recent trip to Los Angeles helped her to learn how to make a positive impact on her community.

“I learned how to use my voice after high school and to stay involved in my college years,” said Crews. “It also taught me how to be a better leader overall. I just learned how to be a more engaged citizen.”

Crews is a senior at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy and is in her second year on the Stockbridge Youth Council. She was among the members of the Youth Council who attended the National League of Cities Summit in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Crews said being on the Youth Council has taught her how to make an impact in her community.

“I’m really passionate about involvement in my community and civic engagement, and I thought the Stockbridge Youth Council was a perfect way to connect with other youth to make a positive change in the community while learning about local government,” said Crews.

More than 3,800 mayors, council members and other delegates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia gathered for the annual conference. Crews said she enjoyed numerous aspects of the summit. One of those, she said, centered on a panel discussion of her fellow students sharing their experiences of how they got involved in their colleges and “continued to be activists.”

“It was a great bonding experience for all the members that went,” said Crews. “We got to learn while we had fun.”

Crews was recently accepted by the University of Georgia, and plans to study political science after she graduates high school.

Stockbridge Councilwoman Neat Robinson has been a liaison for the Youth Council for the last two years. She said the summit enabled students to attend workshops highlighting topics including race, equity and leadership, while also teaching them about U.S. political structure and community advocacy.

“They had all different types of workshops that they could be engaged in, and it was a unique opportunity for them to experience leadership in government,” said Robinson. “They attended workshops on race, equality, self-confidence, leadership, and affordable housing.

Robinson said the students also exchanged ideas with others at the summit regarding current issues, including the recent cityhood debate in the Eagle’s Landing area.

“You want to be able to take the next step to move the city forward, and the best way to do that is by providing them a hands-on experience,” said Robinson. “The annual conference allowed the students to exchange ideas with some of the best and brightest young minds in the nation. Their lives will forever be impacted by this exceptional experience.”

Lauren Jenkins, 15, is a sophomore at Stockbridge High School and is in her first year on the Youth Council. She said the group gives her a way to learn more about the municipality of Stockbridge.

“By working with city leaders and seeing first hand what they do, I have a front-row seat to learning from today’s leaders, so that I can become a better leader myself,” said Jenkins. “Anyone can learn about what the local government does, but the real lesson comes into effect when you meet them face-to-face and even more when you take on one of their jobs. I, personally, have learned about all the small jobs and people that make the city work. Seeing them work together, you can really see how smoothly everything works when everyone performs above and beyond.”

Jenkins said attending the National League of Cities taught her about the impact of youth advocacy.

“We learned from other youth councils by seeing what they did in their cities, and how it impacted the youth,” she said. “As future leaders, we need to take every opportunity to speak on pressing issues that matter a lot to us as well as our community. We can use our resources as a youth council to work together and create the change we want to see.”

Jenkins plans to attend either Spelman College or Clark Atlanta University, majoring in psychology while participating in the NROTC program. Like Crews, Jenkins said the workshops at the summit were her favorite aspect of the event.

She said the summit enabled participants to speak openly about issues that are important to them.

“I got the opportunity to meet and network with several other kids my age that were passionate about the same things I was,” said Jenkins. “No matter your stance or personal beliefs, everyone was treated with dignity and respect. It was a great experience to be in a room, listening to young people talk about what they were passionate about and how they were influencing their city.”