With the constant commotion surrounding the political sphere, staying an informed and active citizen can be quite the challenge. To combat this all too common phenomenon, Lily Coady ‘20 started the Young Democrats club at Hollis Brookline High School in Dec. 2018.

The club here at HB is affiliated with the New Hampshire chapter of Young Dems. Young Dems of New Hampshire is then affiliated with the chapter of America. This club allows high school students to talk about what is going on with politics and it helps them stay up to date with important current events. Young Dems allows students to have the opportunity to expand their viewpoints through exposure to politics outside of New Hampshire.

The club meets every Friday where the members discuss either this week’s news or the week’s prior.

HB’s Young Democrats club has changed a lot since first being started three years ago. It began “…our freshman year as a Political Issues Club centered on bipartisan exploration and discussion of political issues,” said Mary Martin ‘20. The members noticed that most attendees were left-leaning, and thus decided to transition to a certified chapter of the Young Democrats Club. Because of this change, the members  are now invited to official party meetings, along with various events, to talk about politics as well as to discuss the 2020 election.

Meghan Veino ‘20 first attended the club without an abundance of prior knowledge or opinions on politics. “It has taught me a lot about the outside world and what goes on. I think it is a really cool club to have at HB because a lot of what I know now was taught to me by my peers,” said Veino ‘20. Young Dems allows students to work with one another and learn from others’ opinions from a different perspective.

The club also helps students learn the importance of voting for their young generation. “It is especially informative with upcoming elections and it allows us to research all of the candidates since most of us will be able to vote,” said club member, Genevieve Oetjens ‘20. The members of Young Dems have the opportunity to get exposure to real politicians in person as well. “We have also met political leaders from our state and presidential candidates which allows us to see who we are electing on a more personal level,” said Oetjens ‘20.

The Young Democrats Club is an opportunity for students to share their opinions and talk to others about similar beliefs. It also benefits them significantly for the future elections, and they will hopefully pass their knowledge along to the next generation.