City holds leadership conference for youth

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Leadership opportunities for young people was the focus of a conference at Rochester City Hall on Wednesday.

City leaders say the goal is to get youth involved in policy and representation. They say there are opportunities in community work, recreation, and education. Mayor Malik Evans said becoming involved in the community is a great way for kids to get off social media and out of trouble.

“These young people don’t have time to get involved with smash and grabs or negative behavior because they’re involved and they’re busy,” Evans said. “And we want to say to young people that might be thinking about being bored at home all alone on their phone looking at TikTok videos. Instead of being on Facebook, we want you to come and meet people face to face.”

The mayor also says these are great opportunities for kids to learn communication and socialization skills and put their voices to use.