Albany Hears From Rural Youth
Are you a young person living in a small town or rural community in New York? Do you want to voice your perspective on issues impacting your community?
Apply now for the opportunity to testify to the New York State Legislative Commission on Rural Resources in a virtual hearing from 6PM - 7:30PM EST on Thursday, September 25th, 2025. Deadline to apply is September 19th, 2025. For special requests on late applications, please have a school official email directors@empowercny.org with the student’s full name and reason for late application. Note, special requests will be rarely approved as our turnaround time is under 1 week.
Every student who submits a reflection paper (minimum 550 words) will be invited to attend the virtual hearing. See below for more directions on reflection papers.
Attendees will receive formal recognition, including a printed Certificate of Legislative Advocacy and credit toward the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness.
The top 5–10 submissions will be selected for live testimony, giving those students 3–5 minutes to present directly to the Commission.