On Monday, Oct. 12, students from Freedom High School joined others from around the county in a Youth Forum for the county administration.

Participants shared their opinions on a variety of issues such as mental health, substance abuse and school safety. These focus groups allowed students to choose which topics appealed most to them with the goal of creating a passionate discussion that could yield better ideas. 

“They valued our opinions and made sure everybody had a voice about our needs, wants, and opinions of issues in the county,” senior Kevin Aviles said.

Representatives from the county such as Phyllis Randall, the county chairwoman, were in attendance to show support for youth engagement. She made it clear that the future of the county was in the hands of Generation Z, especially as members of that generation begin to vote. 

“The event was thoroughly planned out and we could see that they really wanted us there to get youth feedback,” Aviles said. 

The results from the Youth Forum will be compiled into a report which will be presented to the Loudoun County School Board at their December meeting.