GenerationNation

Good things happen when youth lead, problem-solve, and take an active role school and local government decision-making! Hear from students elected by peers to lead Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council 2025-26. These are clips from when they ran. Presidents *April Alonso, Independence *Samuel Gwin, Hawthorne *Morgan Winston, East Mecklenburg District Presidents *Bee Betaudier, Cato *Quinten Canty, West Charlotte *Nitya Garg, Providence VPs *Aahana Amraotkar, Ardrey Kell *Alita Malolo, Myers Park *Luka Bozovic, Ballantyne Ridge *Matt Reese, Charlotte Engineering Early College CMS Student Advisor *Lucy Silverstein, Providence Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council, or CMYC, is the CMS Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and Youth Advisory Council for both the City of Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County local governments. Through CMYC, students from every area high school and zip code collaborate with peers, adults, and organizations to provide innovative ideas and problem-solve school and community issues. CMYC regularly meets with and advises school, local government, and community leaders, serves on school and civic boards and committees, and more. CMYC is a student-led program of GenerationNation in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, City of Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County. All HS students are invited to join CMYC! Sign up at bit.ly/joinCMYC

Join us for the NC Civic Health Summit on June 29 from 9:30 AM–4:30 PM at Elon University! Strong civic health means people feel informed, connected, engaged, and empowered to shape the future of their communities. When residents participate, communities become more resilient, responsive, and inclusive. The NC Civic Health Summit is an opportunity to come together with others who care about building stronger communities across our state, share ideas, and explore ways we can strengthen civic life across North Carolina. Please attend and be part of the conversation! Register today: tinyurl.com/civichealthnc2026 or use the QR code on the image Thank you sponsors @fftcarolinas @afempowers @nccampusengage @ncpolitics_center @generationnation Phil and Connie Haire Institute for Public Policy at @western_carolina Contact us to sponsor!

Do Charlotte teens care about affordable housing? Absolutely. 🏠✨ Our students created this short video as a preview of one project they’ll present on May 21 — exploring affordable housing and other issues impacting our community. Join us on May 21 to celebrate their ideas, leadership, and impact. Hear directly from young leaders about their ideas to problem-solve real issues in our schools and across Charlotte. Register using the QR code in the image or the link in our bio. We can’t wait to see you there!

Student leaders from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council (CMYC) met with @mecklenburgcounty County Commissioners and @meckparkrec leaders for an inspiring afternoon of discussion, networking, leadership development, and visioning the future of our community. 🌟 Many thanks to BOCC Chair @mark4thepeople and Vice Chair @commissionerleighaltman and representatives @gdunlap1234 @laurajmeier @mcdowell4meck and Parks and Rec’s Bert Lynn and Katie Lloyd for meeting with and hearing from youth! As the official youth council for Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, as well as the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council for CMS, CMYC continues to create meaningful spaces where young people can engage directly with local leadership and help shape decisions that impact our community. From sharing ideas about youth engagement and community priorities to building connections across generations of leaders, this meeting highlighted the power of collaboration and student voice. We are grateful to our county leaders and Parks & Recreation partners for investing in and co-creating with youth leadership. CMYC is a program of GenerationNation, empowering students to lead and make a difference across Charlotte-Mecklenburg. All HS youth are invited to join 💙

A sneak peek of something bigger ✨ Our students created this short video as a preview of the project they’ll be presenting on May 21 about community spaces for teens - but it’s only a small glimpse of the thought, effort, and leadership behind the time, solutions, and energy they and other youth contribute every day! Please join us on May 21 to celebrate their ideas and impact. Hear directly from students about how they’re making a real difference in our schools and community. Register to attend using the QR code in the image or the link in our bio. See you May 21! Come support, be inspired, and see what’s possible when students lead the way! 💫

🚨Reminder: City of Hobbies Youth Fellowship ($4000 stipend!) application due Sunday May 3 at 11:59pm! Mecklenburg County high school students currently in grades 10-11 are invited to apply! Application linked in bio. Want to learn more about City of Hobbies and the Youth Fellowship? Visit cityofhobbies.org for more info.

👋🏽 Mecklenburg County students currently in grades 10-11: apply now to be a City of Hobbies Youth Fellow 2026-27! This is the FINAL WEEK to apply! ✅ If selected, you’ll join a team of 25 youth from across the community to investigate the hobbies Charlotte youth love (or lack) - and help adult leaders to better understand and support the neighborhood resources needed to turn YOUR passions into a communitywide reality! 🏡This opportunity is for Mecklenburg County youth currently in grades 10-11. Mecklenburg includes Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville You’ll work approximately 200 hours between June 2026-March 2027, (most of those hours over the summer) earning $4,000 overall 💵 that’s $20/hour! meeting new friends, building skills for college and career, making a difference as a Charlotte civic leader, and more! 🗓️ Apply by May 3: Apply: cityofhobbies.org 🙋🏽‍♀️ Questions? Check out the job description linked on the application or contact us ✨The City of Hobbies initiative is a collaboration of 11 nonprofit, public, and private partners and is supported by @gambrellfdn

You’re invited to Celebrate Student Leaders! ✨

Please join us for an inspiring evening at The Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City on May 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM to hear from outstanding high school student leaders and celebrate the incredible impact they’ve made this year. Register to attend: tinyurl.com/gn5212026 
This event offers a chance to connect, engage, and be inspired by young changemakers who are transforming their schools and the Charlotte community for the better. 💫 Enjoy an uplifting program filled with youth leadership, bright ideas, and purpose. Following the program, which will conclude around 7:00 PM, we invite you to enjoy light refreshments with a new generation of leaders. 🎉 We look forward to celebrating with you!

Thank you! To @generationnation for the grant that allowed us to install this bulletin board and decal to help spread information and add to the scene at school. This board will stay up as long as possible and change with the season.

👩🏫A look back at our Youth Council Planning Day ✨ 👏Thank you to Generation Nation and the Charlotte high school students who joined us to learn about city planning, engage with Planning staff, and share thoughtful ideas for Charlotte’s future! 💬 The day included presentations on planning topics, an interactive wall graphic activity 💡, a hands-on city building game🧩, and a walking & train tour along the Rail Trail in South End and the Blue Line in Uptown 🏙️. ⚡️Thank you to everyone who participated and helped highlight the value of youth perspectives in planning! 📣

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺? 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲! Join City of Hobbies this week for live information sessions to get all the details on how you can 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 $𝟰,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗯. 🗓️ 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲: Tuesday, April 21st | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Thursday, April 23rd | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM 📝 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻: DM us for the meeting link. Email: [email protected] 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆? Go to bit.ly/cityofhobbies 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘: Applications are due by May 3rd! 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

Connecting youth across the globe 🌍 through candy and conversation 🍬 This year, high school students in Charlotte have been building meaningful connections with peers at Eastbury Community School in Barking, East London 🇬🇧. Together, they’ve explored education systems, government, and policy—while growing as leaders and global citizens. Recently, their conversations got a little sweeter with an international candy exchange. Charlotte students sampled UK favorites like Squashies, Aero Bars, Curly Wurlys, and Cadbury Flakes—and sent over Nerds Gummy Clusters, Twizzlers, tshirts, and more in return! It’s a reminder that diplomacy can start small: with curiosity, connection, and a willingness to learn from each other. There’s still work to do to build a more peaceful world—but these young leaders are already showing us how it’s done. Honestly, adults could take notes.