Gloria Ampadu-Darko: My Experience at the NLC Congressional City Conference

Gloria-Ampadu-Darko is a sophomore at BU and the 2021–22 NLC Menino Fellow. Applications for the 2022–23 Menino Fellowship are due on Sunday, April 24, 2022. 

On Monday March 14th, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Congressional City Conference (CCC), an annual event hosted by the National League of Cities (NLC) to provide an opportunity for municipal leaders to connect with each other, learn about NLC’s programs and available resources, and hear from federal officials about priorities for municipalities.

At CCC, mayors and council members are encouraged to share the positive impacts they are paving the way for in their communities. In addition, NLC also provides them with the necessary tools to continue making change in their cities, towns, and villages. However, the focus was not solely on municipal leaders and what they are doing for their communities. NLC also spotlighted the youth and how they are being local change agents.

I was very grateful for the opportunity to attend the Youth Delegate Session and the Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) Council Meeting where I witnessed the value of youth engagement and the power of youth voices within NLC.

The Youth Delegate Session was a meeting of local youth councils from cities across the nation who are supported by NLC. Groups of high school students gathered and spoke about the positive impacts of initiatives that have been implemented in their communities. It was inspiring to hear how students not too far in age from me were actively fostering change to work towards a brighter future for themselves, their peers, and their families. For instance, students from one city explained how the recognition of the increasing importance of mental health influenced them to create a club promoting mental health awareness and providing helpful resources to the student body.

The session also included an emphasis on feedback from students regarding ways that NLC and local elected officials could better support youth councils. Students proposed the creation of a forum where the councils can consistently update each other about the initiatives they are implementing in their areas. They believed that this would be beneficial in continuing the spread of knowledge and ideas.

The next session I attended was the YEF Council meeting. The YEF Council is perhaps NLC’s most unique council or committee because it is composed of local elected officials as well as a small group of youth delegates who represent the youth council. The student representatives presented to the elected officials at the meeting, summarizing the conversations that were had at the Youth Delegate Session. I recall noticing that the council members were incredibly receptive of what the youth representatives said. They acknowledged their voices and uplifted the youth, referring to them as the future of the country. I loved this display of pride in the youth from distinguished leaders because it is not every day that this age group receives deserved recognition.

My last experience was definitely one for the books. That Monday afternoon, as Day 1 of CCC was wrapping up and individual sessions were coming to a close, the general session was beginning. The general session was the main event of CCC because distinguished guest speakers were in attendance. Of those distinguished speakers was none other than President Joseph R. Biden. The president spoke about the various ways he has aided cities and local communities through policies such as the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. After the general session, I was excited to be able to state that during my semester interning in D.C., I witnessed the President speak live.

Overall, I had the time of my life at the Congressional City Conference. Not only was the conference a learning forum with its highly informative sessions, but it was also a networking opportunity that I was able to utilize to interact with city officials and youth from all over the country. It was even a chance to meet some of my NLC colleagues in person for the first time. My experience at CCC has granted me with many memories that I will cherish forever when I look back at my time with NLC. Not to mention my most brag-worthy memory of all: being in the same room as a president!