WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) hosted a group of students from the Hartford area representing the Greater Hartford Youth Leadership Academy. The students presented their policy recommendations on reducing chronic absenteeism in schools, reducing poverty, and reducing gun violence to their Members of Congress. Larson was joined by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03).

“I was thrilled to be able to welcome these students to Washington D.C. and to hear their ideas about how to combat some of the issues the Hartford area is struggling with. Congress is about the vitality of ideas, and this group of students offered their first-hand perspective on how to engage students in school, address generational poverty, and reduce gun violence and its ripple effect in the surrounding community. I am proud to represent such a thoughtful and impressive group of young people, and I believe they all have bright futures advocating for their communities. I look forward to continuing this dialogue and working with this delegation to address these issues,” said Larson.

“I’m always excited to have young people from Connecticut here in Washington. When I was their age, I got involved in politics and government and found that I could make a tremendous difference even at a young age. I love that students from the Greater Hartford Youth Academy are here making a difference on the issues in their communities. They’re not waiting in line, and they haven’t decided to sit on the sidelines. They decided to make a difference now,” said Murphy.

 This youth-led delegation included students from Hartford, Manchester, East Hartford, Windsor, and Bloomfield public schools and mentors from Hartford’s Public Safety Coalition (CSC), including: Andrew Woods (Hartford Communities that Care), Steve Harris (06120 resident), Carl Hardick (YMCA), Anthony Barrett (YMCA), Darryl Morgan (HCTC), Jessina Womack (HCTC), Eddie Brown (HCTC), Andre Harris (HCTC), Winston Kennedy (Shiloh Baptist Church), Brian Thomas (Urban Hope Refuge).

The students also visited the National Museum of African American History & Culture, toured the U.S. Capitol, and visited the Library of Congress for their presentation, where they were also able to view a collection from the Library that included letters from Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 2015, Larson brought a delegation of stakeholders from Hartford’s 06120 neighborhood to meet with federal departments and agencies.

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