By Claire Mascia, Youth Voice President

(Youth Voice is Lindenwood University’s new nonpartisan civic organization sponsored by the League of Women Voters. In a report requested by Cheri Crockett, the Co-Chair of the LWVSTL Membership Committee, Claire Mascia, the Youth Voice President, introduces this new organization.)

"Hello! We’re Youth Voice, Lindenwood University’s new nonpartisan civic engagement organization. We are sponsored by the League of Women Voters; however, we create our own agenda and determine what we are passionate about as a group of young, dedicated students. Essentially, our goal is to provide opportunities to other Lindenwood students and to our surrounding community to become citizens engaged in the voting process and to learn more about our civic duties in general. As our message says, we aim to “amplify the voices of our generation through nonpartisan cooperation”, and we always lead with the principle: “For Youth, by Youth”. We were founded as a student organization in the spring of 2025, and we hit the ground running immediately. Last year, we went into our community and registered local high schoolers to vote and even did an educational lecture regarding voting in local elections at St. Charles Community College. Then, as the current school year started, we took a step back and focused on truly defining Youth Voice as an organization, since we had gained so many new members. This started with simple questions: “What does it mean to be a voice for youth?” and “How do we represent ourselves as a nonpartisan organization?” Through contemplation, we 15 or so members decided that we must be a group that works to be a force for good in our community, whether that be through civic engagement or promoting a positive space for open dialogue. With this in mind, we decided to start a months-long project that addresses the lack of civic education among college students. As of now, we’re in the midst of receiving data from a poll sent out to students, and once the poll closes, we will create a project that fits the needs of students, as determined via the poll results. 

Now, it may seem that we are just focused on business, but my team is a fabulous set of well-rounded students who love to joke around while serving the common good. I start off meetings with daily check-ins and always end them with a funny video clip or weird meme. The point of these meetings is not only to make progress on our projects but to make sure that our group feels seen and has an opportunity to impact the world even in our small community. Each of us has a different reason for joining this organization, but primarily, our members’ reasons fit along this general theme. Our member Natalie said: “I joined Youth Voice because it brings students from both sides of the political spectrum together while creating a safe space no matter your affliction.” As for the feeling of expressing a want for change, our member Lily expressed this: “I joined Youth Voice because I wanted to help show people our age that our voices matter and that we can make a positive difference in the world.” Through these hopes and ambitions of young people, Youth Voice will continue to be a place where we can create a place for students to become comfortable while expressing their own voices in a positive and safe manner."