COVID-19 is bringing inconvenient truths to the forefront of local political discourse in 2020. In this state of demographic decline, the youngest people in Hawaii, especially those from lower- and middle-income backgrounds, are the most likely to be adversely impacted in the long-term by the recent economic downturn.

More than 100 stakeholders and youth advocates met online on Aug. 28 to discuss ways to mobilize youth voices in the run-up to the 2020 General Election. The Oahu ballot will feature a ballot question to create a Youth Commission for residents between the ages of 14 and 24 under the purview of the city managing director within the City and County of Honolulu.

Speakers at the event included CEO Steven Culbertson of Youth Service America, Honolulu Councilmember Tommy Waters, state Sen. Stanley Chang, Miss Hawaii Samantha Neyland, and local students from organizations like the Hawaii Public Health Institute Youth Council, the Hawaii Youth Food Council and the Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition. Most — if not all — of the student attendees came from private and public schools on Oahu.

While previous efforts to create an Oahu Youth Commission have been stymied in years past, the genesis of this new measure dates back to Dec. 13, 2019, when Councilman Waters introduced a resolution to place the question on the ballot.

If passed, the measure will enable the city to readily incorporate more strategic, long-term planning into policies which will impact generations to come. Youth mobilization through the Oahu Youth Commission will enhance the dialogue we impart into such issues as climate change, rising living costs, criminal justice reform and race. In Honolulu, young people have already mobilized against climate change, racial injustice and in support of a single-use plastics ban.

In these efforts to establish a consultative body of genuinely diverse local youth, Oahu will follow the model set by such communities as San Francisco, Dallas, Baltimore, Seattle, Sacramento, Sioux City, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.

Youth are already establishing a stake in Oahu’s political community. Ho‘ohuli, a local voter guide created by youth and youth allies, is demonstrating that local youth are an untapped constituency concerned with Oahu’s future. Every1ne Hawaii has also created its own interactive voter guide in partnership with the Hawaii State Youth Commission. The Civic Education Council, meanwhile, has partnered with local schools and organizations to bring back KidsVote Hawaii to our local K-12 schools.

Mayoral candidates Keith Amemiya and Rick Blangiardi both support a Youth Commission, and have pledged to incorporate it into the decision-making processes of their respective potential Cabinets. As ballots arrive in mailboxes and sit on counters, voters need to look at Ballot Measure No. 2 and vote “yes” on Oahu’s youth.

The interests of Oahu’s youth closely parallel Oahu’s destiny. Our influence will only compound in the coming decades. Government should not work to maintain a community tailored toward maintaining the disappearing comforts of the past, but one that is instead focused on facing the difficulties awaiting Oahu in the near future.

In his work. “Hawai‘i: The Past Fifty Years, The Next Fifty Years,” former Gov. George Ariyoshi recalled a common question he heard from people regarding why the state lacked the “vigor” with which it acted during the early years of statehood.

His answer was simple: “We need young people to step forward, develop their voices, organize around broad themes and lead the way.”

If given the opportunity, Oahu’s young people will step forward. They’ll lead the way.