Westfield Student To Host Statewide Youth Listening Session

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield High School senior Mira Mehta will co-facilitate a virtual statewide youth listening session on Feb. 6 (a Saturday) as part of an “Are You INFOrmed?” outreach campaign by the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

“The Consortium is a new state initiative created by state legislation to grow access to local news and information across New Jersey and to address the state’s ‘news desert’ crisis,” says John Celock, a member of the consortium’s board of directors and former editor of Westfield Patch.

According to its website, njcivicinfo.org, the nonprofit organization has among its goals to “improve quantity and quality of civic information in New Jersey communities, along with increased access.

Mehta will co-facilitate the session with a Union County Academy for Information Technology senior and the organization’s outreach consultant.

The Feb. 6 session will be held virtually from 10-11 a.m. Participants under the age of 21 in New Jersey will be invited to share how they get local news and information, how much they are involved in civic issues locally, and ideas for the future of journalism and civic information.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this discussion,” says Mehta. “I think it’s especially important in these times that young people are informed about and involved in shaping the world around us.”

Interested participants can visit https://areyouinformednj.weebly.com for more information and to register in advance.

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