Hannah Lebovits, in the latest blog post for Life, Well Run (an ICMA initiative), talks about the value of engaging with young people and how local governments are doing more to include them, even those who aren't of voting age yet. Read an excerpt from the blog post below. For the full post, you can find it at the Life Well Run blog. 

"Do you remember when you first realized there was a governing body that decided when the street lights turned on or how many homes could be built on your block? Perhaps a family member worked in local government or was generally active in local politics. Maybe you moved because of local happenings that did not suit your family needs. Of course, it’s also possible that you only became aware of local government when you voted in a regional election for the first time. I would suggest one way that is probably very unlikely though: Your local government probably didn’t invite you to participate in any civic discourse prior to your 18th birthday."