While many students will be spending this spring break relaxing, one local boy is out to make a difference in Alaska’s communities.
David Eller, 15, from the community of Ionia in Kasilof, has been selected to participate in the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action Civics and Conservation Summit in Juneau.
The event takes place March 9 to March 12 in several Juneau venues including the state’s Capitol Building.
The annual summit attracts students from across Alaska to discuss important issues including the environment. According to a press release from the Alaska Center for the Environment, the organization responsible for holding the event, students will meet with lawmakers, learn about the legislative process and meet with peers to discuss issues concerning each youth delegate’s community.
The release states that “in addition to the training, the youth delegates will bring their climate change campaign to Juneau and ask Governor Walker to assemble a climate change task force. In the past six months, the teens have collected more than 900 signatures in support of their campaign that they will be bringing to Governor Walker on Tuesday, March 10.”
Eller, who will be joined by 21 other youth delegates from across the state, said the opportunity to participate in the summit was too great to pass up.
“I thought it would be a great experience learning about our government,” he said.
Eller said he looks forward to meeting new friends, learning new skills and seeing Juneau for the first time.
“I’ve always been interested in the capital,” he said.
Eller said he has known about the summit for a while now, and was nominated by his mother. Two of his brothers and some of his friends have also participated in years past.
At the summit, Eller hopes to discuss several issues including fishing, hunting and the environment. He said those particular issues are important to him, because he wants to make people aware of how they affect various communities.
“I think it would be a great thing to make changes in Alaska,” he said. “I want to help my community and other communities.”
After the summit concludes, Eller is unsure what his future has in store, but he said he is open to new challenges.
“I would like to do lots of stuff,” he said. “I want to try new things.”
Reach Ian Foley at Ian.foley@peninsulaclarion.com
