South Central Reporter

Illinois Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) recently invited students from her district to join her Youth Advisory Council.

"This week, I had the opportunity to host my Youth Advisory Council meeting in Springfield for high school students from throughout the 58th Senate District," Bryant wrote in a March 17 Facebook post. "This event gives high schoolers the chance to learn more about our state government and legislative process in a fun and interactive way. I always look forward to hosting this event and meeting with the young, bright minds of our region."

According to a press release, the Youth Advisory Council took place on March 15 at the State Capitol and was an opportunity for youths in Senate District 58 to learn firsthand what the legislative process is like.

Bryant's first Youth Advisory Council was held in December 2021 and brought more than two dozen youths from the 16 high schools across the 58th District to the State Capitol, Marion Republican previously reported.

"It was truly exciting to see the students focused and engaged throughout the entire day," Bryant said, according to Marion Republican. "I am hopeful that today's Youth Advisory Council provided these students with a better understanding on how our state government works, but more importantly, I hope they learned that each of them have a voice in the process." 

Attendees were able to meet with successful community leaders, including Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens, Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez and SIU Chancellor Austin Lane before forming groups to work on developing ideas for potential new state legislation that each group would present to the council for a vote.

“I wanted to take part in this because it would give me a lot of insight on something I didn’t know a lot about,” Aumalie Murdock, a student at Woodlawn High School, said. “I also wanted to meet and talk to Terri. After talking, I learned that she is someone who definitely wants to help me and further may career.”

Bryant’s Youth Advisory Council will meet for a second time this spring at the State Capitol, where the students will participate in a mock committee hearing based on the legislation they chose at this week’s meeting.