Metzger convenes student advisory council

July 20, 2020
5:59 pm

HUDSON VALLEY – NYS Senator Jen Metzger (SD-42) recently convened the first meeting of her 23-member Student Advisory Council. The Council members attend high schools across Senator Metzger’s district, which includes Sullivan County and parts of Orange, Ulster, and Delaware Counties, and were selected in part for their demonstrated commitment to the betterment of their communities.

Senator Metzger’s Student Advisory Council will provide input on legislative initiatives and work closely with Metzger and her staff to tackle youth-specific issues and concerns in their communities. Students will learn directly from the Senator about how the State legislative process works and the priorities of the current legislative session.

At the first meeting, the committee delved into the topic of climate change, which was a topic that most of the students listed among their top issues during the application process, and one that has been a top priority of the Senator. Metzger invited guest speakers Jeremy Cherson from Riverkeeper and Tim Guinee from the Climate Reality Project to address the council, and the students then discussed the approaches they thought would be most effective to reduce the severity of climate change, including actions that could be taken at state and local levels.

“We got right down to business in our first meeting of my Student Advisory Council to discuss the challenge of climate change and how we should tackle it,” said Senator Metzger. “Their generation will be deeply affected by the actions that government takes, and I feel very fortunate to work with such a bright, engaged group of students, and get their perspectives on this important issue.”

A full list of high schools attended by members of Senator Metzger’s Student Advisory Council is below, and student names are available upon request.