Students from across Minnesota meet with lawmakers in brainstorming forum

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Saturday, it was a jam-packed house chamber, despite zero session. This time, filled with young adults.
“Today, I was talking about mental health and that’s the reason why I’m here,” said Dheekshi, a student at Eden Prarie High School.
Topics from mental health to youth homelessness.
“Our idea is definitely trying to get civic engagement and education regarding state government and local government into our curriculum,” said Quincy Shi, a student at Mounds View High School.
A Youth Policy Forum hosted by the Center for School Change, a Minnesota nonprofit, gives lawmakers from both parties the ability to hear the future generation’s perspective.
About 85 students from around 26 high schools both representing rural and urban areas gathered in the house chamber. Ninty-five percent of the students had not even met.
It’s the forum’s third year and this is just the first part. After ideas are brainstormed and shared, students will then come back to help write bills and testify during the 2025 legislative session.
“They know better, they are in the classroom,” said Rep. Samakab Hussein. “They want to be a part of school board members, so they’re selecting one individual from every district to be sitting at that table, and that’s one policy we worked on together.”
And other ideas that already sparked bills that are now laws, like one that allows students across the state to learn construction skills while building low-income housing.
“After today the discussion doesn’t end,” Shriya Yalamanchili, a student at Eastview High School, said. “We have to keep on discussing and keep on working for the issues we find important.”
For students interested in making their voices heard like this, lawmakers said that they can always email them.