The beginning of what I believe will be a long life of civic participation

When CivicLex came to my high school to give presentations on local government, I had no idea that a year later I would be one of the 36 randomly selected residents tasked by them to deliberate changes to the city charter.

At first, I felt rather apprehensive as only this perfunctory information and the credit for a requisite government class comprised my formal political knowledge. Nevertheless, on sunny March weekends and chilly evenings after school, I ambled downtown to Transylvania University to attend each session. 

In that vast conference room was a microcosm of Lexington. I met denizens who worked in Lexington for longer than I had been alive, and other ‘transplants’ who had just moved here whom my own immigrant family out-stayed by several years. It was the most diverse set of people I had interacted with in my life, reaching far outside the confines of my limited adolescent social circle.

Through group discussion, debate, and presentations not dissimilar to seminars in my classes, I learned about two pertinent issues of council member compensation and charter review (or the current lack thereof) that would not have otherwise crossed my mind.

I spoke with genteel former and current councilmembers of Lexington about their workloads, and listened as our mayor and vice mayor relayed to us the significance of our work. In groups, we perused and debated city charters, local ordinances, and news concerning not only Lexington but similar cities across the United States in order to compare other municipal government structures. I gained much through the constant interaction and participation from my fellow assembly members, our distinct perspectives and experiences.

Despite our varied walks of life, we were all united by a shared desire and acknowledged responsibility for the improvement of our community. Exemplifying this was where we were asked if we hoped that our work would result in change; everyone stepped forward.

For me, it was the beginning of what I believe will be a long life of civic participation.