We know what the potential of Miami is. But it can be tough for young people to see ourselves thriving in our County. Miami-Dade is facing an affordable housing crisis, and we have to choose between housing costs absorbing a huge chunk of our money or staying at our parents’ homes (don’t even mention buying a house). Unlike older generations, we have no choice but to face the threat climate change places on the future of our community as our city sinks. It can be impossible to move around this County if you don’t have a car and incredibly frustrating if you do, and unfortunately we allocate our budget as if prisons and police are the answer to creating safer communities.

Worst of all, our local leadership is not taking the steps necessary to seriously tackle these problems and create the bold solutions we need. Instead, they’re stuck on politics as usual and captured by the influence of special interests. But enough of that. We’ve got issues, and we’ve got solutions, and that’s why we put together the Young Peoples’ Policy Priorities. It’s our platform to create the future we deserve. And we’ll be using it to make sure the next County Commission in 2020, and every year after and every city within, represents young people and the future of Miami-Dade.