Rushabh Patel, a Macon-Bibb County Youth Commissioner and sophomore at Stratford Academy, has been selected to be a board member of the prestigious National League of Cities Council on Youth, Education, and Families.
 
Mr. Patel was one of five youth members selected from a national application and interview process to be a part of this 30-person Council which is made up of youth leaders, elected officials, and representatives from major national organizations concerned about children and families. As part of the YEF Council, he will have full membership on the Council and help guide and oversee all of the YEF Institutes’ work, not just those relating to the youth.
 
“NLC’s ability to conjure a connection of communities for the betterment of cities is exceedingly important. The incorporation of youth into the governing structures of society is quite crucial for the future of society. Training of the future leaders of the world should start early,” wrote Mr. Patel in his application essay. “Through NLC’s youth engagement, we will be able to retain the good qualities of governance and reform and learn from its mistakes. The world is a complicated place, and in order to decipher it, we must start early.”
 
Membership on the YEF Council is an opportunity for youth to have an ongoing voice in the work of the NLC, including its national efforts to promote youth participation in civic affairs. The Council provides advisory support to the NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families which grew out of the belief that to thrive, cities need strong leaders who make the education, safety and health of the families and children in their communities a citywide priority.
 
“Rush's passion for local governance is self-evident.  On a daily basis, he immerses himself in complex considerations relevant to the shaping of political policy, the formation and stabilization of communities, and the need for government to be fair to all of its citizens,” says Dr. Tom Lolis, Upper School English Teacher and Advisor for the Student Issues Board at Stratford Academy.  “Discussing these issues with Rush is always a highlight of my workday at Stratford. I've no doubt that Rush's appointment is just the first step in what will be a long and influential career.”