For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 22, 2020
Students are encouraged to sign up to participate on Zoom or tune in on County Cable Montgomery, YouTube and Facebook
ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 22, 2020—The Montgomery County Council will host a virtual Youth Town Hall meeting on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. with Montgomery County School Board President Shebra Evans and Student Member of the Board of Education Nick Asante to learn more about the issues currently impacting young people across the County. The virtual Youth Town Hall also will include information about some of the resources available for young people focused on mental health and wellness, activities beyond the virtual classroom, food assistance and other services.
“We want to hear directly from our students about the issues they are grappling with during these challenging times,” said Council President Sidney Katz. “The Council and the Montgomery County Board of Education are fully committed to the health and welfare of all of our students. We understand that our young people have faced many challenges this year. With little advance warning, our students had to adapt to distance learning and have endured major disruptions to their social lives and home lives. We are eager to hear directly from our young people and to use their input to help craft policies to meet the evolving needs of our students.”
“I’m so pleased to support and participate in this Council Youth Town Hall. In a time when we must physically distance, it is great that we are able to virtually come together to support students and their families,” said Board of Education President Shebra Evans. “I hear every day about the anxiety our children experience because of the pandemic, and we all must do our best to lift up everyone in this unique time. Montgomery County Public Schools, the Board of Education and our county partners need to come together with purpose and commitment for our kids.”
“Student voices need to be heard so that the community can fully understand how deeply youth have been impacted by COVID-19. Many of my student colleagues didn’t know how important access to resources was until they needed it,” said Student Member of the Board Nick Asante. “Mental health, wellness and, for some, food and other basic resources became new necessities. At this moment, so many months into the pandemic, the needs of those in crisis has only deepened. I must say, this event is so necessary, right now.”
Also joining the virtual meeting via Zoom will be Kathy Boland, pathways resource specialist with the Montgomery County Collaboration Council; Elijah Davis, recreation specialist from Montgomery Recreation; Allie Sklarew, AmeriCorps VISTA, program assistant, Montgomery County Food Council; Lex Morgan, youth development specialist, Wheaton High School Wellness Center and, and a representative from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.
The virtual Youth Town Hall will be conducted through a Zoom webinar and will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube (MoCoCouncilMD) and on Facebook Live (MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil) and can also be watched on County Cable Montgomery on channels 30 (Fios), 1056 (RCN) and 996 (Xfinity).
Montgomery County Public Schools students need to register to receive their student-service learning hours. Please go here to register. Students who attend private school or home school please register here.
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Release ID: 20-414