WESTFIELD – The city of Westfield’s Youth Commission met Monday evening to discuss their thoughts and ideas about their schools and the city.
During the meeting, eight students – from Westfield and Westfield Vocational-Technical High School all the way down to the city’s middle schools – sat down with the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Coordinator Diana McLean to discuss events like St. Mary’s hosting a geography bee on December 8, basketball tryouts beginning at the high school after Thanksgiving and a turkey trot at one of the middle schools.
Students even floated ideas for future activities, such as organizing dances and marching as a commission in the annual Lantern Light Parade.
According McLean, the Commission is important because it gives its membership insight into how the slowly turning wheels of city government work, along with giving a voice for kids in the community.
“Getting a say in the community,” said newly appointed Commissioner Emily LaFond, a student at St. Mary’s, when asked what she is looking forward to most about serving.
“It’s important in Westfield to have the youth say what’s on their mind,” said Westfield Voc-Tech junior Raquel Ramos. “Having a big say in the city is a good thing. For me, when I go to student council at my school, I like having a say on what sort of things we do.”
Commissioners come from a wide array of backgrounds and situations and the commission has had to alter ordinances to allow some students to serve, such as RJ Boyer of South Middle School, who lived in neighboring Russell at the start of his tenure on the commission but has since moved to the Westfield.
“It was really cool that they gave me the opportunity,” he said. “Even though I didn’t live here, I got a say on what happens here.”
“I’ve been more interested in politics lately,” said WHS student member Griff Massey.
“It kind of shows you how to make decisions for the betterment of the community,” said Massey’s WHS colleague Gabriel Santos, who serves on the commission with his twin brother Javier.
Though not a voting member of the commission, which is made up of 17 total students and two adult members, Pamela Kryzek and Jim Blascak, McLean said that the commission also discusses the actions of the state legislature and has made its presence known in Boston.
“We talked about one of the House bills to promote services for homeless teens because Westfield has approximately 33 homeless teens,” said McLean. “So we took a group picture in front of our banner and signed it. They wanted to send a message to the legislature that this is an important thing.”
“They are involved in communicating to us what their needs are and also learning the process,” she said, adding that several commissioners were present at a public meeting the previous week on how to make the city a more bicycle-friendly community.
