DAYTONA BEACH -- Mercedes Kendrick can't vote at 15, but she has a burning question to pose to legislative candidates and newly-elected county officials.Her family is homeless after three hurricane hits and she wants to know why no agency is helping them find housing.
Alexis Young, 16, also isn't old enough to vote but wants to know why single working parents like her mom have no access to affordable health insurance.
Kendrick, Alexis and seven other students from the Practical Academic Cultural Education Center for Girls, a statewide organization aimed at helping girls overcome emotional and behavioral problems, have gained an interest in politics through a program called Florida Children's Campaign.
The campaign is sponsoring Candidate Connection, a nonpartisan information exchange aimed at encouraging candidates to develop platforms on children's issues.
PACE girls who have researched issues they feel strongly about -- including birth control, food stamps, juvenile detention and prevention programs and foster care concerns -- will get a chance to ask questions of candidates for legislative seats in Districts 26, 27 and 28, plus several county councilmen at a public forum Thursday .
The event, "Teens Take on Politics," is set for 4 to 6 p.m. at Bethune-Cookman College's Heyn Memorial Chapel, 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.
"FEMA was asking us about material stuff, like clothes and TVs, but they didn't concentrate on our housing and that we are homeless," said Mercedes of Holly Hill. "After the hurricanes, we lived in our car and now we are scattered among relatives." Mercedes wants to ask local candidates and county officials: "How will you ensure that families like mine obtain permanent housing?"
A year ago, Mercedes was skipping school and heading for trouble until she enrolled at PACE. She said teachers and staff at the center have helped turn her life around.
Amanda Williams, case manager for PACE, volunteered to help Mercedes and the other girls research and frame their questions for the teen political forum.
"My minor in college was political science, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to work with the girls and give them a voice," Williams said.
Lori Grant of the United Way of Volusia County helped organize the forum under the format provided by the Children's Campaign, which has been used since 1996 to feature high school students questioning candidates, said president Roy Miller.
"It introduces politicians directly to the concerns of children in their district," Miller said in a phone interview from Tallahassee. "The events are inclusive, not only for children with a history of academic excellence, but for students who are becoming better students through intervention programs available in the community."
Dennis Clayton, a member of the League of Women Voters of Volusia County, will moderate the forum and his wife, league president Summer Clayton, will time the responses to one minute each.
audrey.parente@news-jrnl.com
