Nancy wants to create more options for our young people to contribute to their Sunnyvale communities. Nancy intends to create those opportunities through policy work, community development work, public work, construction projects, museums, and orchards. Hands-on work experience for our young people will pay dividends for Sunnyvale – as more of our youth become engaged with and committed to their communities early on, they will be more likely to stay here as adults and use the skills they learn here in Sunnyvale.
Nancy supports the creation of paid internship programs for high schoolers similar to the San Francisco YouthWorks (SFYW).
Nancy provides summer internships involving high school students in her work as a Council Member and candidate for Mayor. She mentors youth in developing their skills and participation in the community. With her guidance, students learn how government works and participate in our City’s democratic processes by making public comments, drafting responses to constituent emails and crafting messages for social media and, of course, taking time to perform administrative tasks like data entry and filing. She talks with them regularly about her views on Sunnyvale issues and supports the development of their skills through the many roles they play, including writing, developing content, managing projects, presenting at meetings, creating video, advocacy, and the founding of nonprofits.
The youth Nancy mentors have started several important initiatives including the Sunnyvale Youth Public Policy Institute (YPPI), a program that enables our teenagers to research their communities’ problems and learn more about their government.