Long Beach: The city where young voices actually matter

If you’ve ever sat through a city council meeting or scrolled through government press releases, you might assume civic engagement is strictly an adult sport. But in Long Beach, California, young people aren’t being told to “wait their turn.” Instead, the city is pulling up a chair, handing them the mic — and in some cases, even the budget.
And what happens when young people are empowered to lead? A whole lot of good.
Long Beach is home to more than 120,000 youth be