Knox County high schoolers can get hands-on government experience as junior commissioners
The Knox County Junior Commission youth civics education program, designed to give high schoolers local government experience, will return for its second year.
The program was established in November 2022 for high school juniors and seniors serve alongside their district's commissioner or with one of the two at-large commissioners who represent all of Knox County.
Dain Shelton, a freshman at Pellissippi State Community College, was part of the inaugural class. He told Knox News his time working with District 3 Commissioner Gina Oster empowered him to think about a future in government.
"Being able to sit on stage and participate (in commission proceedings) and embody the image of where I want to be ... I can't describe the elation that I had when I was sitting up there," he said.
Junior commissioners participate in an orientation session and attend county commission and zoning board meetings. They join commissioners at public events and participate in a mock session of the Junior Commission.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. Dec. 20. They're accepted through the Junior Commission web site at knoxcounty.org/juniorcommission. Students will be notified the week of Jan. 8 if they are selected.
Lily Hutchison, now a freshman at Liberty University, served with District 7 Commissioner Rhonda Lee. She told Knox News she would encourage anyone to apply, not just students interested in holding office.
"I believe any student can benefit from the experience and education found in this program," she said in a text.
Larsen Jay, an at-large commissioner, told Knox News the program is beneficial to the whole county, not just the students.
"It demonstrates that if given the opportunity to participate in meaningful civic experiences, our rising youth leaders will show up and prove that impact is their biggest focus," he said. "The next generation of citizens want to find ways to nudge their community in meaningful ways."
One benefit is learning about accessibility. Shelton told Knox News he learned the value of this under Oster.
"(Meeting with people) keeps your constituents happy and it makes them feel heard," he said. "That's the number one thing of representing somebody: that they know you're representing them."
Ella Parker, a senior in high school who served with Jay, said the program prepared her to serve as an ambassador to the community.
"It's made me more aware of the things that are going on in our county," she told Knox News. "I feel like now, I can act as a resource to my peers if they're curious."
The program is only open to students who live in Knox County. For information, visit knoxcounty.org/juniorcommission or contact the commission's office at 865-215-2534.
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County high schoolers can apply to be junior commissioners
