Youth presence was impossible to miss at this year’s 20th Annual Colorado Latino Advocacy Day. Students from across Denver and the Western Slope gathered to participate in workshops, ask questions, and lobby on COLOR’s priority issue areas, including environmental justice, community safety, housing justice, essential workers, and affordable healthcare. Among those students was Elise Khong, a high school advocate who has been closely following the effort to protect Omnisalud and other affordable healthcare programs. I sat down with her to learn more about what motivates her to engage in this work and why youth voices are so crucial in shaping policy.
"Youth voice is really important. It has a lot of weight to it because it is less common in policy spaces.”
Elise is a high school sophomore at the Denver School of arts with a passion for policy and civic engagement. She first got interested in policy through the American Civil Liberties Union. What drew her specifically to healthcare policy, though, was her personal connection to the issue: “Initially I wanted to do something in healthcare because my mom works in healthcare and a lot of those topics were interesting to me.” She continued, “Both of my parents were immigrants and relied on government funding when they came to America, so I really saw the importance of Omnisalud even though I was not personally impacted by those government cuts.”
When it comes to policy, Elise believes youth bring a necessary urgency and perspective. She said, “A lot of the people making decisions in policy spaces are adults of older generations. They make decisions impacting youth for the longest amount of time. Youth voice is really important. It has a lot of weight to it because it is less common in policy spaces.” For Elise, being present in these spaces acts as a reminder to lawmakers that young people are watching, learning, and holding them accountable.
Still, being a high school student in a complex policy environment comes with its challenges. Elise shared that she has felt underestimated or dismissed because of her age, especially when asking questions that adults assume are “too basic” to matter. She said, “The higher you go up in policy spaces, there is so much jargon and history behind each bill which makes it hard to tackle.” She explained that when she first got involved, she would ask broad questions to advocates or legislators that would get pushed aside. She found over time that it was more productive to narrow it down and ask questions about specific bills or the behind-the-scenes process. “Because it is easy to redirect young people, you just have to be conscious of the questions you are asking,” she said while also emphasizing that there are no wrong questions.
For young people who want to get involved but don’t know where to start, Elise recommends beginning with community: “The best thing to do if you feel intimidated is attending policy spaces with friends or someone you already know.” She suggests going to youth-centered policy spaces to find other young people with shared interests. She also suggests reaching out to the legislators that represent your district or who sponsor a specific bill you care about. Narrowing down your focus-area can make the process feel less intimidating and more accessible.
Even as the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise bill to protect funding for Omnisalud still has yet to be introduced, Elise stays motivated to follow the bill because she believes the work matters beyond a single legislative moment. She said, “It is important to stay engaged even if it’s a slow process because the work to make people’s lives better never stops.” Even if it’s a small task like going to a legislator meeting or talking with an advocacy group, Elise says it can be very rewarding. Her consistency and passion demonstrate the power of sustained presence in advocacy.
“It is important to stay engaged even if it’s a slow process because the work to make people’s lives better never stops.”
Decisions made this legislative session regarding affordable healthcare will impact people’s lives for years to come. Now more than ever we need voices like Elise to remind lawmakers that this is not an abstract issue, but a reality faced by so many of our community members. No matter your age, your background, or how new you are to policy, you hold power. We are all experts in our own experiences and those experiences are exactly what make our community stronger.
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In community,
Nicollette Tanino-Springsteen
[Disclaimer: These stories reflect the voices, experiences, and perspectives of the COLOR team shared in the spirit of learning, connection, and collective growth.]