Chicago students march to the polls

Okay, let's talk about some students. I love when young people are engaged in democracy. They are marching to the polls. Yeah, our Gabriela Primas is alongside them at the downtown Superside. Hey there, Gabby. Guys, parade to the polls, awesome energy. And a lot of these students, yeah, you love seeing them come and vote, but all in the same place and feeling that energy and talking to one another and doing the research makes it even more special. and it's thanks to Chicago Votes, in part. I'm here with Camille Williams, program director of Chicago Votes. Okay, how's it been this morning? I like all the smiles on the faces. Everyone feels well-prepared, it seems like, and they took buses from Noble Schools coming all the way here. Yeah, so today has been hectic so far, but a lot of first-time voters, over 300, have been able to come out and cast their ballot today. So it's very exciting, and we're excited to partner with the Noble Schools. You know, if I remember right, you guys have been doing this for almost a decade, right? like the parade to the polls. I mean, how much have you seen it grown? And what kind of response do you guys get from schools and from students? Well, I've seen it grow a lot. I started as a volunteer and I'm now the program director. So I saw a lot of voter apathy amongst the years and then a surge in young people coming out to actually vote and staying civically engaged throughout adulthood. Do you find, I mean, the last 10 years has really been a majority of Gen Z. Have you guys seen kind of trends change? Does it seem like there's even more numbers, more interest with these last few years? Yeah, so now the shift from millennial to Gen Z has been very interesting to just try to make sure that all Gen Zs are civically engaged and all the millennials also know that they must continue to encourage generations to come. Yeah, it seems like a lot of them are taking it seriously. The research that they're doing ahead of time, realizing that, hey, it's not just picking a name. It's not just picking some random multiple choice. You actually need to understand who's on the ballot and who you're saying yes to. Yeah, so we do try to prepare students with our voter guides. along with side with other voter guides so they know who they're voting for and they're not picking someone based off their name but based off the values and intent that they have while they hold this office okay it was quite a riot here for the parade of the polls noble schools today and tomorrow uh which makes me think i need to talk to some students too oh wait i need to get in the selfie okay Anaya Deshawn come on over here there you go i don't know where oh there he is Okay, you guys are still under 18, but you still made the trip from Baker College Prep. What kind of preparation did you guys do, even though you're not technically casting a ballot for this race? Okay, so our amazing teacher, Mrs. Green, she facilitated and welcomed us into her space. So teaching us about how important our vote is, what impact can it make, and it's your decision. It sounds like you guys are ready for when your time comes. Is it cool just coming along for the ride? Yes, it was an amazing experience to be down here to support our peers who are 18 and actually being able to vote. This whole experience is something new, but we're learning a lot. Thanks from our facilitator, from Ms. Green. She gave us a space where we can understand politics on a deeper meaning level and what can really help our community. I mean, guys, voting is the first time. It's intimidating. There's a lot of names on there. It's not like a test, not that you guys do this, not random multiple choice. Were there any that maybe caught you guys up that you guys really spent a little extra time on? I hate to put you on the spot, but do you have one in mind? I would like to keep my vote sacred to me. Of course, don't ask me who you vote for. Okay. But yes, it was a couple who caught my attention, especially just seeing, especially for the School boards, seeing people that want to make an impact for us, that are taking their time out of their day to make sure that we're getting the proper resources that we need, especially for CPS schools and the schools that are on the south side. Awesome. Guys, thank you so much. Travel safe back. I guess, what was the vibe like coming in the bus? Was it exciting, everyone chatting? Yeah, it was so much excitement. Everybody was ready to vote, even the people who weren't ready to vote were ready to vote. so it was it was a lot but i think at the end everybody was able to have fun happy being able to share their political opinion with the community and it was a good time awesome you guys are doing the right thing as young people thank you for your time all right pray to the polls i would say successful so far they have today and tomorrow four Noble Schools some CPS students have already come by to the super site on State Street so you're making a trip to come to the city and also doing the research understanding what it's like to vote even before being able to cast a ballot what an advantage that these students have