ARIZONA TOWN HALL

In 2011, the Arizona Town Hall debuted its Youth Town Hall in partnership with Arizona State University and Maricopa Community Colleges in an effort to engage even more students and their perspectives in the Town Hall process which works toward creating solutions or strategies to improve Arizona. While there are student representatives participating in the three-day, twice annual Town Halls, these separate events afford students an opportunity to gather and provide exciting new energy, along with innovative and creative thinking to the solutions needed on education, transportation, arts and culture, health care, how government is run and many other topics.

The ideas that come out of the Future Leaders Town Hall are shared with all of those participating in the conversation at the signature event typically held just a month later.

Follow the links below for news and outcomes relating to Future Leaders Town Halls on the following topics:

• Arizona's Energy Future
• Civic Engagement
• Civic Leadership
• Higher Education
• Early Education
• Arizona's Vulnerable Populations
• Arizona's Economy
• Transportation and Arizona

For Future Leaders Town Halls after "Transportation and Arizona," click here for a listing of the individual pages.

On March 17, 2015, a Future Leader Town Hall was held in Tempe and satellite locations around the state. Transportation and Arizona was the topic.

• Read a summary of the discussions.

Keynote Speaker: Deron Lozano, Senior Transit Planner & Project Manager, AECOM

On October 7th, a Future Leaders Town Hall was held in Tempe and satellite locations around the state. Arizona's Economy was the topic. Hundreds of students from the state's high schools, colleges, and universities participated in this unique opportunity to meet other students with diverse perspectives and gain a new network of connections. Student shared their ideas and expressed their views about the state's economy and came up with ways to solve some of the most challenging issues affecting Arizona.
A summary of the discussions taking place at the October 7th Future Leaders Town Hall was carried forward for consideration at the 105th Arizona Town Hall which will be held at the Grand Canyon in November 2014.

• Read a summary of the discussions.

Keynote Speaker:Keith Watkins, Senior Vice President of the Arizona Commerce Authority's Economic and Rural Development Division.

• "Yuma Youth Town Hall Provides Students Venue to Discuss Issues"

First place video in the Maricopa Community Colleges student video competition - Future Leaders Town Hall on Arizona's Economy

April 16, 2014.

Keynote speaker: The Rev. Canon Richard N. Morrison, Attorney and Episcopal Priest

October 16, 2014.

Keynote speaker: Early childhood education leader, Sam Leyvas, live in Scottsdale, with satellite feed to other locations.

• Yuma Sun
• Channel 11 News includes a video: AWC Students Discuss Higher Education - view on site.

Video slide show of Youth Town Halls held in Yuma on October 24, 2012 and April 10, 2013.

On October 24, 2012, the Arizona Students’ Association, Arizona Town Hall, and the Maricopa Community Colleges held a Youth Town Hall on Civic Leadership for Arizona’s Future. Statewide student leaders from across Arizona gathered to discuss what it means to be a leader in their community. This was a unique opportunity for university, college and even high school students to gather and craft solutions that will change Arizona.

• Yuma Sun 
• State Press

Many thanks to our Panelists and Speakers:  Nancy Welch, Vice President Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation; David Martinez III, a student advocate and political activist, working at St. Mary’s Food Bank; Veekas Shrivastava, a student at Arizona State University and the deputy finance director for a congressional campaign in Arizona; and Alberto Olivas, Director, Center for Civic Participation, Maricopa Community Colleges.

The second Youth Town Hall was held April 11, 2012, at Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix Campus.

Youth Town Hall #2 discussed the topic of Civic Engagement prior to the 100th Town Hall on Civic Engagement.

Partnerships with the Arizona Students’ Association and Maricopa Community Colleges helped make this event an incredible success with nearly 200 students participating in the discussions. It was also live webcast at other campuses and a Twitter feed showcased immediate thoughts from the high school to college-aged participants.

The first Youth gathering occurred on the topic of Arizona’s Energy Future in the fall of 2011 on ASU’s Main Campus and was web-casted to other locations.