Dublin Students Organize Civic Bootcamp For Local Youth

DUBLIN, CA — Dublin teens helped organize the second annual Youth & Society Bootcamp, a program introducing local middle and high school students to local government through presentations, group activities, and simulations.

This year's program focused on elections and civic engagement, community services and city planning. The program's roughly 30 participants created fictional characters for Dublin mayor, complete with campaign platforms and speeches; designed a park and community events; and balanced a city budget, choosing to prioritize spending on projects like affordable housing, transportation, parks, libraries, and emergency preparedness.

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Participants worked with a number of Dublin city officials, including:

• Ivan San Pedro, recreation supervisor
• Felicia Escover, economic development manager
• Talia Gonzalez, management analyst in the city manager's officer
• Ryan Moran, city communications
• Rosemary Alex, parks and facilities development coordinator
• Akanksha Hanumakonda, public works intern

The program was organized by Sriram Kannan, Avika Vyawahare, Arjun Mamidi, Smiti Shankar, Svara Wani and Adi Jain. Local businesses also contributed, with Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar providing food and BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse donating gift cards for a raffle.

The program cost $10, and all proceeds went to the Dublin Youth Fee Assistance Program, which helps make recreation and community programs more accessible to local families.

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• Dublin Students Help Organize 'Youth & Society Bootcamp'