Registration Opens for Youth Town Hall in Portales

PORTALES, NM, March 18, 2008—Youth from throughout the Portales region will come together April 9 for a community town hall entitled Building Our Future. The event, organized by the City of Portales, is part of New Mexico First’s statewide Tomorrow’s Leaders program. The Portales event will address social issues affecting local youth and the future of their community.

“We are so excited that young people in Roosevelt County are coming together to hold a town hall,” said Heather Balas, New Mexico First’s president and Portales native. “The Tomorrow’s Leaders program enables these teens to become active in public policy at an early age – and provides valuable recommendations to local lawmakers at the same time.”

Debi Lee, Portales City Manager, coordinates the Portales Tomorrow’s Leaders program. “The future and quality of life in Roosevelt County will be greatly impacted by these youth, who are becoming the leaders or tomorrow,” she said. “We want this event to enable young people to voice their concerns as well as their ideas for making our community better.”

All Roosevelt County high school juniors and seniors, as well as college students in the area, are invited to participate in this one-day town hall to discuss priorities and concerns related to issues that are affecting their lives and community. The event will produce recommendations for local policymakers.

“Whether our concerns lies with our local economy, reducing the rate of teen pregnancy, preventing the abuse of drugs, or preparing for college or career, we as New Mexicans know we need to promote the aspirations of our young people,” said Lee.

Event Details

Who: Juniors and seniors from Portales, Floyd, Dora, and Elida high schools, ENMU Student Senate members, and ENMU Freshman Seminar
When: Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 8:15 am to 2:30 pm
Where: Portales Memorial Building, 200 E. 7th Street
Convener: Youth members of the Portales Tomorrow’s Leaders program
Registration: Students can sign up for the town hall at their schools or by calling Debi Lee, City Manager at 575-356-2790.

For More Information

Debi Lee
Portales City Manager
575-356-6662
575-760-2384 (cell)
dlee@portalesnm.org