Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Earth Month is a beautiful time of year on Beacon Hill! If you've never been to the State House, or even if you have droves of times, I encourage you to come for a visit and check out everything the people's house offers, inside and out.
Last week I welcomed 10 talented high schoolers hailing from across our district to the State House for our Spring Youth Summit. This annual event gives young adults direct access to the workings of our democracy. The Summit featured an intro session with me and my team, a State House tour, a pizza and policy lunch, and deep discussions on a range of issues including homelessness, AI and social media, youth mental health, and health care access and coverage. With guidance from my staff, students developed and debated ideas, insights, and proposals, culminating with policy pitches to me and my Legislative Director. Take it from me: there is promise in our future leadership.
Youth Summit participants pose on the Senate rostrum with Senator Rausch (left) and present their policy pitches (right).
Bringing students together to analyze the issues that matter to them is a great hands-on civics workshop, but that's not the only reason these events are so important. Hearing the concerns of our youth is a key component of representing all of my constituents' needs and interests. During a virtual youth town hall session I convened in 2021, young people spoke courageously about mental health challenges and the need for better and different supports. Working with Samaritans, Inc., within a few weeks I secured funding for a youth mental health text line called Hey Sam. This confidential, peer-to-peer resource has been a tremendous success, connecting thousands of young people to the help they need. Hey Sam is your tax dollars at work, saving lives and helping our youth, both those who text in and those who volunteer.
Read on in this month's Rausch Report for more info about Samaritans' 50th Anniversary celebration, legislative updates, a roundup of upcoming May events and activities in our district, and more.
For real-time updates, please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you are a constituent and need assistance, please don't hesitate to call me and my team at (617) 722-1555, email me at becca.rausch@masenate.gov, or attend upcoming office hours. We are here to help.
Yours in service,
Senator Becca Rausch
Our mailing address is: The Office of Senator Becca Rausch Massachusetts State House, Room 215 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133
No comments:
Post a Comment