They lift your spirits, prompt you to think, make you feel grateful and inspire you to do more. They connect you to our community, shining a spotlight on what's good about our city. They're stories that are Uniquely Milwaukee.
When we think of who’s making the decisions that affect our city, we usually think of roles held by adults: the mayor, aldermen, City Council members — politicians with years of experience in local government.
But, here in Milwaukee, Arias Dinan and 14 other high-schoolers are making a difference as part of the Milwaukee Youth Council.
“There's a lot of messaging around, ‘youth are the future,’ and ‘youth are going to have to take over these roles,’” the Ronald Reagan High School senior said. “But I would argue that youth are the present as well, and they should play a role in active policymaking, not just this future void.”
Dinan, who represents District 14 on the council and is in his second term, added that civic engagement is something he’s been passionate about from a young age.
“I've kind of just become really frustrated with the state of our school system, how we remain one of the most segregated cities in the country, and there's not really adequate action being taken,” he said. “And I think that, as it has for generations, movements of change start with the youngest people.”
Sitting next to him during a recent council meeting was Safiyah Osman, a junior at Rufus King High School who’s in her third year serving as the representative of the 5th District. That experience in local government has changed the way she sees Milwaukee and her peers.
“I was living in a city that I had no idea about,” she said. “I didn't know about the politics. I didn't know about our streets, our [Milwaukee Police Department]. I had no idea. I just would have opinions because of hearing adults around me, but I did not have my own yet. So I think that's something that was very important to me about being on the Milwaukee Youth Council … not just making change, but educating myself further.”
During their terms, the two have worked on issues directly affecting Milwaukee’s youth, with a strong focus on homelessness. Last year, the council gave approximately $30,000 each to organizations like the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and the Hmong American Peace Association that they felt best suited the needs of young people facing housing insecurity.
At their October meeting, the council voted on which issues they wanted to focus on for the upcoming year, led by Milwaukee City Clerk Jim Owczarski.
“These were the priorities you identified in our first meeting when we talked about these things,” he explained. “You get to vote for two. We have these four things given to me by you: How many of you would like to begin with third spaces? Teen takeovers? Early literacy? There you have it, We’re going to begin with teen takeovers.”
Owczarski has been involved with the youth council since 2005, when the initiative began. During that time, he’s seen several council members stay involved in politics, including current State Representative Kalan Haywood.
With Owczarski at the October meeting was Alderwoman Sharlen Moore, who said that part of what makes the initiative impactful is the attention to accessibility and resources that support every student across the area, including the ones on the council itself.
“Do we have food? Do we have bus passes?” she added. “Can we make sure that the young people can get here? Just making sure that young people are safe coming and going, but making sure they each get a stipend for their attendance.”
As a leader in the city, Moore recognizes the real change the youth council is making and the power of their voices.
“We always think that young people can't do hard things,” she said. “We have this assumption that, ‘Oh, that's just too much for you.’ And we don't give them the space and the opportunity to also fail. That's something that's okay. They can do it in a safe environment where they can have conversations with each other.”
Beyond creating change in the city, Dinan and Osman say the experience as council members has shaped their future: Osman wants to study criminal law, and Dinan wants to study political science and global affairs. Both encourage other young people to get involved with local government to represent and advocate for their generation.
“I would always say that you should because, again, just because you're not educated in this stuff doesn't mean it's not gonna affect you,” Osman said. “You don't need to have a background in government to be affected by things that are going to happen to you, especially youth.”
