The City of Milwaukee Youth Council is sending a delegation to the nation’s capital next week for the National League of Cities 2015 Congressional City Conference. The conference will be held March 7 to March 11 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Milwaukee Youth Council (MYC) will participate in meetings and discussions with other youth councils from across the U.S. These discussions will give them the unique opportunity to have their voices heard on a national level about issues that are important to Milwaukee youth and other youth around country.

Milwaukee Youth Council president Abena May said the conference will be a rich learning opportunity for the Youth Council.

"Meeting with national officials and discussing important local and youth issues with other youth representatives from across the nation is an experience we are excited to be a part of, and we are proud to be representing the City of Milwaukee next week in Washington," May said.

The four-day NLC conference is an annual legislative forum that brings together more than 1,200 elected and appointed local officials to discuss federal policies that are important to local governments. The NLC conference is a bipartisan event that helps local leaders build better communities. This conference provides the opportunity for local leaders to advocate for Milwaukee and cities everywhere on a federal level, and the annual legislative forum is also a learning opportunity, where local leaders attend seminars and workshops on a variety of topics.

The Milwaukee Youth Council will be attending meetings of the National League of Cities Youth Council (with members of other Youth Councils from across the U.S.), where discussions will focus on projects and legislation members have worked on in their home cities. The group will also have the opportunity to meet with Senator Tammy Baldwin and staff from Rep. Gwen Moore’s office to talk about issues that are important to them. The opportunity to have more interaction with the members of Congress will happen when they go to Capitol Hill to visit with members of Congress, as well as to be part of a capitol building tour arranged by the office of Rep. Gwen Moore.

In addition, MYC members will get to hear President Obama at the opening ceremony and will also join Alderman Joe Davis, Sr., who serves as chair of the NLC’s International Council, during a meeting of the NLC’s National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials where the newly-released documentary "Dream Big Dreams" – about Milwaukee civil rights icon Vel Phillips – will be screened.

The City of Milwaukee Youth Council members will be live blogging, posting pictures and tweeting about their experiences through the MYC’s Twitter feed (@mkeyouthcouncil) and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mkeyouthcouncil. For more information on the Youth Council please visit city.milwaukee.gov/YouthCouncil.