By Hannah Moeller
On April 27, 16 students and three faculty members from Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, traveled to Sacramento for Catholic Lobby Day.
The group, part of the Mitty Advocacy Project (MAP), left their San Jose campus before sunrise and prepared for the events of the day on the two-hour bus ride.
For the entire school year, MAP had been preparing for this event. Students met weekly to discuss current issues in California’s state legislature, social justice issues in their communities, and strategies for meeting with political leaders.
MAP President Josh Ferguson stated, “This was a productive year as we developed relationships with our state legislators, and we were also able to establish a presence within our statewide Catholic community.”
This day is particularly unique as the students work together with leaders from the Diocese of San Jose to bring their shared perspective from San Jose/Silicon Valley.
“Leaders from the diocese, Linda Batton and Father John Pedigo of St. Julie Parish, helped create a dynamic presentation with diocesan lobbyists and Mitty students,” sophomore student Sarang Shankar commented.
The diocesan leaders and Mitty students met throughout the day with legislators: Joe Coto, Elaine Alquist, Paul Fong, Ira Ruskin and Jim Beall.
This year, MAP focused on four key areas to present to officials: Food Stamp bill AB 1642, Juvenile Sentencing bill SB 399, the Dream Act, and the California budget.
The Food Stamp bill AB 1642 reforms and simplifies the application and reporting process for food stamps, potentially stimulating greater participation and federal reimbursement.
The juvenile sentencing bill SB 399 adjusts the current laws for minors without parole to conduct a review for qualified prisoners.
The Dream Act (SB 1460) gives nonresident students who graduated from a California high school the ability to be considered for financial aid at the state’s public institutions of post-secondary education, allowing more California young people to be able to afford college.
With the California budget crisis, MAP students stress that economically rejuvinative measures are necessary as opposed to further cuts to repair the economy.
Catholic Lobby Day is the highlight of a year of activities for Mitty’s advocacy team. Students meet to discuss issues that are most urgent, then strategize to implement an action plan.
This spring MAP launched a campaign to address the rising hunger rates and impacted food shelters in the San Jose area. Students designed and created a practical poster to help eligible persons know how to apply for food stamps.
The application and reporting processes for food stamps are complex and inflexible and many poor people who need them do not understand how to obtain them.
Students are putting their poster in soup kitchens, homeless shelters and in community service centers so more eligible persons will become educated about food stamps.
Students also met with Senator Elaine Alquist’s office to discuss the issue and gain support for their campaign. Mitty senior Feriel Aoun took a group of students to meet with St. Justin’s Parish Community Ministry Director Joe Bauer.
He supported their efforts stating, “Improving the current food stamp program would alleviate demands on food banks and improve the circumstances of more than 50,000 people in Santa Clara county.”
MAP seeks to represent young people and Catholics of California and give them a voice at the state capitol. This year, because of its success in the past three years, MAP was asked to give a presentation during the opening ceremony of Catholic Lobby Day to an audience of hundreds of people, including several bishops and other members of the Church.
Senior Feriel Auon and sophomore Sruthi Ramaswami delivered speeches about MAP’s program and its work. The young activists introduced an initiative MAP is beginning this year to serve as an example of student advocacy for other high schools.
MAP is beginning an online network that consists of blogs, websites and emailing to unite with schools and student advocates from across the state. For more information, and to see excerpts from their speech, visit MAP’s blog: www.mittyadvoacy.wordpress.com.
Senior Stephanie Cao commented, “At Mitty, we are directed to leave our mark on this world. Meeting with state legislators gives us the opportunity to act upon our educational and moral values.”
• Hannah Moeller is a senior at Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, and participates on the Advocacy Project directed by teacher Michael Accorsi of the Social Studies Department.