tvc.dsj.org | March 5, 2019 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Monarchs Participate in
Catholic Youth Advocacy Day
By Jennifer Prince ’19
For more than a decade, Archbishop
Mitty High School’s social justice team,
the Mitty Advocacy Project (MAP), has
attended the Catholic Youth Advocacy
Day in Sacramento. In about a month,
they’ll participate again. The purpose of
this day is to give Catholic high school
students an opportunity to participate
in legislative advocacy. Students from
across the state meet with state assem-
bly members and senators to discuss
issues that are meaningful to them,
such as mental health awareness and
gun control, in an effort to inspire real,
governmental action to better the Cali-
fornia community.
Throughout the day, the Catholic
spirit of social justice permeates the
event. The first meeting place of the day
is always the Cathedral of the Blessed
Sacrament, the spiritual home of the
Diocese of Sacramento. In the morning,
all student advocates meet in the Cathe-
dral to participate in Mass.
“We are given time to reflect on our
decision to come to the Capitol Building
and advocate,” said senior Malavika
Ramarao. “We are reminded that we are
doing this because of our duty to care
for all that is around us. Furthermore,
our conviction to continue our advocat-
ing work is renewed by the celebration’s
message of love and stewardship.”
All in all, the Mass is the perfect in-
troduction to the rest of the morning’s
schedule. Until noon, the basement of
the Cathedral is filled with student-
run workshops and presentations to
inform attendees about a wide range
of topics. In the past, these sessions
have included talks on how policy
proposals become law and interactive
workshops about art and advocacy.
Following lunch, students from each
school walk to the Capitol Building
and meet with legislators from after-
noon until early evening.
The heart of Catholic Youth Ad-
vocacy Day lies in the discussions
students have with policy-makers that
afternoon. For Archbishop Mitty High
School students, these meetings with
local legislators are important because
this is an occasion for everyone in MAP
to get involved in advocacy. Catholic
Youth Advocacy Day provides 30
Monarchs — both upperclassmen and
underclassmen — an opportunity to
talk to their elected representatives.
Every year, the delegation from
MAP to Sacramento grows. Recently,
MAP has also used this event as a
unique opportunity to reach out to oth-
er schools and advocacy groups so stu-
dents can share ideas. This networking
opportunity builds solidarity among
teens as students learn about each
other’s regional social justice concerns
and priorities. As a growing number
of students continue to meet with their
policymakers, the state of California
will hopefully see more change impact-
ing our local community.
PURSUE YOUR
PASSION
THIS SUMMER!
Calling all Journalists!
Participate in The Valley Catholic
Young Journalists Group
The Valley Catholic Young Journalists Group is a team of high school
journalists who are passionate about retelling such stories through priests,
ordinary people and religious events. The mission is to share anecdotes of
faith and experiences of God in people’s lives, specifically aiming to connect
with fellow Catholic youth.
If you enjoy writing, telling stories, and are active in your parish, come
join this group!
For more information or to share a story, please contact Justin Chung at
[email protected].
www.mitty.com/summer-program (408) 342-4200
Our academic and camp
experiences are available
during June and July
for students in first grade
through high school.
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