Youth Involvement Takes Center Stage At U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting In Boston

BOSTON, June 8, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Youth involvement and its impact on the political process will be a featured topic of discussion during the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Annual Meeting in Boston.  On Monday, June 11 at 8:30 am ET, the Conference's Youth Involvement Task Force, which was recently created by USCM President and Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, will hold its inaugural meeting.  Gresham (OR) Mayor Shane Bemis, who was selected by Mayor Benjamin to chair the new initiative, will moderate the session. Featured speakers include David Hogg, Senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and Co-founder of #NeverAgainMSD; Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky; John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics; Vikiana Petit-Homm, a youth activist from Boston; and Dr. Frank Luntz, who will bring with him youth activists from around the world.

During the session, Volpe will present the findings of the Institute's Spring 2018 Youth Poll, which finds a marked increase in the number of young Americans between the ages of 18 – 29 years old who indicate that they will "definitely be voting" in the upcoming midterm Congressional elections.  Dr. Luntz's remarks will focus on the challenges, attitudes and opinions of millennials.

While USCM has a long history of engaging with youth on issues such as crime, education, and health, Mayor Bemis will forge a new path for the organization and work with mayors across the country to engage with young people and foster their involvement in public service and the governance of the nation's cities.

INFORMATION ON USCM's 86^th ANNUAL MEETING
Starting on June 8, more than 250 of the nation's mayors will meet in Boston for USCM's 86^th Annual Meeting.  Under the leadership of USCM President Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and host Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, mayors will discuss a wide variety of priorities that contribute to the overall health of America's cities, as well as consider and adopt the policy resolutions that guide the advocacy agenda of the organization. The Meeting will run through Monday, June 11, 2018. A draft agenda and list of pre-registered mayors are available here.

PRESS GUIDANCE:

• All business sessions are OPEN to the press unless otherwise indicated (EVENING EVENTS ARE CLOSED TO PRESS).
• All press should register to attend the meeting here. On-site registration will be available. ONLY reporters with proper, up-to-date press credentials will be allowed access.
• For planning purposes, a DRAFT AGENDA and list of PRE-REGISTERED MAYORS is available here.

WHO:
Gresham (OR) Mayor Shane Bemis
David Hogg, Senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and Co-founder of #NeverAgainMSD 
Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky 
Dr. Frank Luntz
John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics 
Vikiana Petit-Homm, youth activist from Boston
+ 15 international youth activists

WHEN:
Monday, June 11, 2018 at 8:30 am ET

WHERE:
Marriott Copley Place | 110 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 | Grand Ballroom; 4th Floor

RSVP:
Interested media should contact Sara Durr at [email protected]

About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors