McLean County Times

The Normal City Council heard at its May 15 meeting a presentation from its Youth On a Mission Advisory Council on the experiences they gained and the impacts of their work in the community.

“I want to first say thank you to both Paige and Tracy for their devotion because it takes a lot to work with youth and to keep them engaged. And it takes a lot of commitment on a Saturday when you probably could be doing a thousand other things to really spend with our youth in helping to encourage and build these young women,” Normal City Councilmember Chemberly Harris said, according to a YouTube recording of the meeting.

The Youth On a Mission Advisory Council is relatively new to Normal, coming from the inspiration of Harris, according to the video. Tracy Freeman, a former teacher at Normal West High School, mentors the program, with help from Paige Malloy, a senior at Illinois Central University.

“To the young women who presented tonight, I beam with pride because you could be doing thousands of other things and you can get distracted by other things that you all were committed to,” Harris said, in the video. “And just the responses that I received from how you presented yourselves in Springfield and how you represented our town so well. I would be remiss to not share that with you all. You were the only youth who were also invited to the reception and you were able to network and hold your own like you have been there for years- better than some of the newest legislators.”

Malloy said that Youth on a Mission’s ultimate goal is “to educate students on local government and give them meaningful opportunities to engage with their local government,” according to the video.

She said that the students balance time working together and bonding, and also having fun with working hard in the community and with local governments or organizations, the video reported.

The students heard from speakers who included the governor, the majority and minority leaders of the state, and lobbyists for communities all over the state on a trip to Springfield for the Illinois Municipal League’s Lobby Day, Malloy said, according to the video.

Shloka Ravinutala, a junior at Normal Community High School and Cana Brooks, a senior at University High School, shared their presentation of how they were “normalizing” feminine hygiene in their community, according to the video. They encouraged the community to adopt more lactation stations and gender-neutral bathrooms for access for all parents and their children.

Shreya Nallamothu, a sophomore from University High School, and Richa Schulka, a junior from University High School, presented on community sustainability efforts, according to the video. They examined the history of sustainability efforts and goals in the community, which Normal published in 2012, giving critiques on making a better plan for the future, including having measurable goals, addressing all initiatives, and increasing community engagement and education on the topic.