This conversation aired in the August 4, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.
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In 2024, KALW’s newsroom was focused on covering the local and national elections, focusing on issues that mattered to Bay Area residents.
And often, after an election’s over, people tune out politics. But some young people are continuing to make themselves heard.
Recently, KALW’s community engagement manager, Johanna Miyaki, joined the League of Women Voters’ and the NAACP’s youth councils on a trip to the state capital, Sacramento.
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Q&A Transcript:
Hana Baba: Hi, Johanna.
Johanna Miyaki: Hi Hannah.
Hana: So you went to Sacramento. What was happening there?
Johanna: Well, I got on a bus with 14 teenagers. They worked with the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. The California State Assembly recognized the contributions from these two youth councils for work they've done in their local communities. So assembly members stood up on the floor of the state assembly and applauded these young people while they were up in the gallery.
Hana: Love that.
Johanna: And you know, yeah, it was so cool. And the announcement was entered into the official session record. It was really fun to see these kids, you know, get their flowers for the work that they do.
Hana: Right and so what kind of work do they do?
Johanna: One of the things the League of Women Voters Youth Council did last year was create a voter education tool using virtual reality. : So a team of 3 high school students wrote the code for a program that uses V-R to simulate the voter experience in a polling place. So users can engage with poll workers and learn about voter rights similar to the way that you would in a video game. So Emily Gorodetsky is part of the team that created it and is one of the youth council members that was at the Capitol with me that day.
Emily Gorodetsky: And I thought that was a really amazing moment just to see everyone stand up and clap for you based on, you know, your civic engagement efforts back home. They talked about how we are a group of youth that are focused on voter registration and civic engagement amongst our fellow peers, and it was just amazing to see all the work that we've been doing in the past few years be recognized.
Hana: That's really great. So, what are they working now?
Johanna: Charlotte Dodson, who helped form the League of Women Voters Youth Council in San Francisco 3 years ago, was there too. She also created their first podcast, Learn with the League, while she was in high school. She's a sophomore in college now and serves as a mentor to the youth council. They're working on a new podcast called District Voices. This is Charlotte on how they're evolving their approach.
Charlotte Dodson: Not only is District Voices designed to teach people about what these representatives do, but also gives them an opportunity to share how they can get involved in their own community and engage with these elected officials.
Johanna: So, they're deepening community engagement and continuing to connect their peers with local government.
Hana: Of course, we love a podcast. What is on their minds? What will they be talking about? Who will they be talking to?
Johanna: They're focusing on issues that matter to young people, both on the state and local levels. Leah Mordehai is one of the hosts you'll hear on District Voices. While visiting the Capitol, she had an interview set up with California State Assemblywoman Catherine Stephanie.
Leah Mordehai: One question that we plan to ask her is about human trafficking. Both Emily, my co-chair, and I sit on the SF Coalition Against Human trafficking, and so we're sort of interested to hear what work she's been doing to combat human trafficking, especially because it's very prevalent in our district of San Francisco, and I know that she's pushed several bills through the assembly relating to that. So that's something I'm looking forward to hearing her opinion about.
Hana: Johanna, these are some tough issues that they are exploring. What else are they paying attention to?
Johanna: So youth vote efforts and school closures. Last October, SFUSD announced they would close or merge 13 schools. There was a massive public outcry and soon after, the new superintendent, Maria Sue was appointed and halted all the school closures and mergers. But SFUSD was not out of the woods. Declining enrollment and budget shortfalls would force them to revisit this sooner than later. So District Voices is hoping to interview Superintendent Sue about future plans.
Hana: OK.
Johanna: On the youth vote front in 2024, both Oakland and Berkeley implemented measures allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote in their school board elections. This gives Oakland and Berkeley teens real agency on who will be elected to serve them and their interests, and San Francisco teens, they want the same.
Hana: There's really no shortage of issues and topics for these kids, to discuss on this podcast.
Johanna: Not at all.
Hana: So what's next? What's on the 2025 agenda for these young folks?
Johanna: Well, events like this trip to the state capitol really help keep them motivated to do the work. But most high school students have so much going on in their lives between school activities and jobs and preparing for life after high school. Without a representative or a group at every school, mobilizing tens of thousands of students is challenging even around issues they're really passionate about, like the youth vote or school closures. So the District Voices team is going to be active in digital spaces, social media, and in-person events.
Hana: OK. We will be listening. Thanks for sharing, Johanna.
Johanna: Thanks for having me on, Hana.
Left to right: League of Women Voters San Francisco Youth Council Chairs: Emily Gorodetskiy, Leah Mordehai and Charlotte Dodson.
