Have I put you at ease? Have I told enough jokes?
Have I gotten familiar enough? No, you've done
a good job with the introduction. I mean, it's
a very welcoming introduction. Okay, good. All
right. We just want you to feel comfortable.
Yeah. Welcome to County Connection. the official
podcast of the Washington State Association of
Counties, where we dive into the legislative
issues shaping the future of our communities.
From budgets to public safety, infrastructure
to elections, we'll break down what's happening
in Olympia and how it impacts counties from across
the Evergreen State. Stay informed, stay engaged,
and join us as we amplify the voice of Washington's
39 counties. Welcome back, everybody, to The
County Connection, the official podcast of the
Washington State Association of Counties. I'm
Paul Jewell, the government relations director
for WASAC and host of The County Connection podcast.
We've been gone for a couple of weeks. The legislative
session has been over, and we're transitioning
now into what we call our interim period, which
is between legislative sessions. And since this
is the first year for our podcast, All we have
done so far has been legislative session material.
But today I have a new guest, kind of a special
guest, who is a little bit unexpected in the
studio that I'm going to have a nice chat with.
Gavin, why don't you introduce yourself? Yes.
Hello, everyone. My name is Gavin Cruz. I'm a
senior at Olympia High School, and I'm very interested
in government and want to talk about this with
the man right here. Well, great. Thanks for coming
today, Gavin. It's great to have you here. Are
you a fan of the podcast? How'd you hear about
the County Connection? My history teacher. Your
history teacher. Mr. Schaefer. Really? Yeah.
And is your history teacher a fan, or how did
he find out about it? I think he found out from
one of your co -workers. I think Tanya has a
daughter. Oh, okay. At Olympia High School, and
I guess the best person to relate anything government
to is the government teacher. Okay, well, it's
good to know that family members of our staff
listen to our podcast. Yeah. And how many episodes
have you listened to? I probably... Two at most.
Two at most. So you're one of our biggest fans.
Yeah. That makes you one of our biggest fans,
Gavin. Yes, biggest contributor. Awesome. Well,
so you're a senior at Ole High. Congratulations.
Thank you. Looking forward to, well, geez, it's
what? June 3rd. You must be getting out soon.
Yes. Actually, we graduate next Monday. Next
Monday. Congratulations. Thank you. Is graduation
actually on a Monday night? It is on a Monday
night. Oh, wow. That's kind of a weird night
to be graduating. You know, if I were you, I
would take it. Yeah. Take the graduation. And
it's earlier than last year. Nice. So that's
good. Nice. Well, congratulations. So once you
graduate, you're done. What do you got planned
for the summer? Summer, we're probably going
on a summer vacation with my family to Europe.
Oh, nice. Yeah. Whereabouts in Europe are you
going to go? Switzerland, Alps, and then Northern
Italy. Have you been to Europe before? I've been
before. Oh, wow. That's great. Well, that'll
be a really good time. Oh, yeah, definitely.
And the weather looks pretty good there as well.
Well, yeah. I mean, it doesn't matter if the
weather is good or not in the Swiss Alps, right?
Yeah. I mean, if someone told me the weather
was going to be bad, would you like to go? I
would say, yes, please. Yeah, it's a new thing.
But I'm afraid that we're going to overly compare.
to the mountains here, like rainier. That's the
thing about living in the mountain state. Well,
we're certainly blessed here and we're certainly
spoiled, but I think you're probably still going
to really like it there. Yeah. So you've been
to Europe before. What parts of Europe have you
been to? I've been to Central Europe. So last
year I've got a chance to visit, you know, Budapest
and, you know. Czech Republic as well. I've got
a chance to experience Western Europe, such as
France, Spain, Portugal, UK. Well, great. So
you've been to Europe a few times. I've been
to Europe a few times. What about Asia? Asia,
yes. This spring break, I just recently went
to Japan and Korea. So that was spring break.
Yeah. You know, when I was a kid in high school,
spring break was not an Asian trip on vacation.
So obviously things are a little different these
days than they used to be. Well, you're pretty
well -traveled. Career plans? Now that you're
getting out of high school, it's time to get
a job and make your way in the world, Gavin,
and get out of your parents' house and pay your
own way. What's up with that? Yes. So as far
as career plans, I want to pursue an area in
government. And government is a very broad career.
Sure. many aspects of government that you can
be affiliated with. But I specifically want to
go towards policymaking because by working with
some of the extracurriculars I've done, such
as, you know, Youth in Government and LIAC, I'm
curious in trying to find a way to use my voice
for the greater good. So we have a rule here
that you just broke. on the County Connection
podcast. You mentioned a couple of different
programs. One was youth and government, but then
you also said something, was it YIAC or LIAC?
LIAC. LIAC, and I'm assuming that's an acronym.
It is an acronym. Okay, so we can only use acronyms
on this podcast. Once we've told people what
they are. So yeah, we've got to, we've got to
help you correct that rule. What does LIAC mean?
Yes. LIAC is the Legislative Youth Advisory Council
headed by the office of the Lieutenant Governor,
Denny Heck. Okay. You said Legislative Youth
Advisory Council. That's correct. Okay. I'm spelling
it wrong, but that's okay. I'm just getting in
my notes here. So Lieutenant Governor Heck actually
leads that. That is correct. Have you met the
lieutenant governor? I've met him multiple times.
Yeah, he's a great guy. Yeah, good guy. So what
spurred your interest in government in general,
do you think? That's a funny fact because I used
to like, I love watching the news. That claim
right there can be like in this day of age, like
really? But when I was in fourth grade, Lester
Holt, who was the newscaster on NBC News. Sure,
I remember. Yeah. He just recently stepped down
of his position. But there's just something about
like getting exposed to like what is. outside
the bubble as a young person and hearing whether
it's natural disasters or political news or international
affairs. I think it just spawned my curiosity
about just by hearing these things, what can
I do to fix it? And it may sound like a cliche
statement, which in some parts of the aspect,
it is a cliche statement. But I think that curiosity
spawned a whole realm of like, okay, you know,
learning the steps and process about how policy
is made at the table. Well, I think most kids
your age, when they think about fixing it, they're
thinking about how do they fix their Xbox or
their Insta profile. You're trying to fix public
policy. Well, that is unusual, I would have to
say. Do you find that there's a lot of other
kids your age with similar interests? If you
go on LinkedIn, yes. All right, how many kids
your age are on LinkedIn? I have almost 500 connections
on LinkedIn. Of other youth similar in age to
you? I mean, if you see their experiences on
LinkedIn, I mean, oh my gosh. Wow. There's a
lot. And I think it depends on where you grow
up. If you grow up in a more urban area like
in Seattle, then there'll be probably more kids
that have similar interests to me. But in the
suburbs, I think in my school, I felt like...
I was like one of the only kids who was just
interested in doing this type of stuff. Yeah,
but Ole High is not a small school. No. You guys
are what, triple A? We're 4A. 4A, okay. It's
a little bigger than when I was a kid. I grew
up right down the road from here, so I'm sure
it's grown a little bit. So you're quadruple
A, you're 4A. So how many kids are in your graduating
class? 500? We're actually at four. 450. 450.
Yeah, under 500. Yeah, I think there were 89
in my graduating class. Oh, wow. Now, I didn't
go to Ole High. I went to Tenino High. So that's
quite a bit difference, but still. So that's
a lot bigger school. I'm sure there are other
kids there that have similar interests. Do you
guys have a political club at school or anything?
The closest, well. thing to a quote -unquote
political club is the activism club so we have
a lot of um you know feminist movements at our
school that do a lot of advocacy and activism
that's That's the closing to a political club
in terms of like structuralized government or
like the typical government nerds club of like
speech and debate model UN. We don't have that
at Olympia high school anymore. Okay. Well, this
is interesting to me. So you've been involved
in some of these other things, the LIAC, the
legislative youth advisory council council. Thank
you. And then youth and government. And you're
interested in pursuing a career in government.
Let me ask you this question because this is
interesting. This is something that oftentimes
stumps. people. What do you know about county
government? You know, this is a county government
podcast. Have you ever met any of your county
government officials? Yes, I've met a couple,
actually. Got the chance to talk to Commissioner
Mejia. And one of my first conversations with
a government official was a county commissioner.
It was John Hutchings from Thurston County. Former
sheriff or police chief, John Hutchings, and
former county commissioner, John Hutchings. Yes.
And he now, I think, works up at the legislature.
Yes. Every time I see him on the Hill, it's like
a... reunion because he first interviewed me
in sixth grade. Oh, really? Yeah. What did he
interview you for? What is civility? Oh, interesting.
So that was part of his episode series with the
county government. And that was my first like
real exposure to meeting a quote unquote government
official or politician or whatever you think
that is. Okay. So you know a little bit about
county government. You've met some county commissioners.
Do you know what county governments do? Well,
I have a general idea. I mean, you know, when
you think county, you think a larger area that
is governed. So Thurston County is, you know,
it's a larger area compared to like the city
of Olympia or Yelm or Tumwater or Lacey. And
I think when it comes to county governments,
there's a couple of services that they offer.
So I know I've met some people that work for
the county health department when it comes to
substance abuse. I've also, I'm not sure this
is a county government because I know in King
County. their transit systems own and operated
by the county. Yeah, it's actually the only one,
I believe. The only one. Yeah, in Washington
where the transit system is actually owned and
operated by the county. By the county, yeah.
So I know some counties have the ability to do
that. Counties can also have their own jail.
That's true. So the city of Olympia doesn't have
a city jail. They just refer them to the county.
That's right, that's right. So there's some aspects
and services of what the county does, but in
terms of the structure, I'm still, Want to discover
that. Okay. Well, what do you think are the issues
that are important to today's youth that county
governments can actually influence? Yes. So I
think county government can definitely influence
the way social services are handed out to the
youth. One of the big subjects I'm more passionate
about is mental health and how do we provide
those services to students? Typically, it's all
honed in at the district level, but yet the county
government can be supportive in whether it's
creating a PSA regarding addiction and how to
combat that. Maybe it's like the, you know, the
services of like try to find a crisis center.
How do you think your fellow students, how do
they view mental health as an issue just in general?
And how do they, how do you think they, is there
a real big stigma associated with mental illness?
Or is it treated more like, you know, any other
sort of, you know, physical or biological issue
that just needs to be dealt with, do you think,
amongst today's young people? i think in this
day of age it's at least more acceptable as to
like you know talking to people with mental illnesses
or mental health like in the 60s when lobotomies
were still around and but i think there's still
stigma around it especially by the type of people
that are more susceptible or like the stereotype
that if you are facing depression or you have
a mental disorder that you are X, Y, and Z, which
really this can happen to anyone. You don't need
to fit those labels. So you think that even today
with all the awareness that's been going around
and the discussion that's been happening, and
we do this a lot at the county level, you kind
of mentioned it through our public health departments
and through our behavioral health departments
and providers, you think there's still a lot
of stigma? amongst today's youth around mental
illness? I think so. Oh, yeah, definitely. So
does that mean that people... Does that prevent,
you think, some of your classmates maybe from
seeking treatment or being open about some of
their challenges or the way they may be feeling?
I think... Yes, but also as a no, it's a mix
of both because in some ways that especially
on social media, like the way some perceives
mental health or based on like, you know, the
expectations versus reality, then it can discourage
people from getting the actual help they need.
But there's also the same argument that mental
health is also at the home where maybe the lack
of, you know, crisis training or noticing the
suicide warning signs for especially parents
and relatives can lead someone to feel like they're
not being heard. at all. So yes, there's some
county responsibility, but also I think there's
also responsibilities in different aspects that
are beyond what the county can do. Yeah. Well,
what other things do you think are important
from a policy perspective to today's young people,
your classmates, for instance, that county governments
can have an impact on? Yes, I think and I know
we did this in government class about what are
the things government can provide for you. So
I know most of, you know, educational funding
comes from bonds. And typically that's seen at
a district level, but the county can definitely.
do that by the accessibility of voting, which
I'm very glad we have a mail -by -vote system
where people can be better informed about an
issue. But I think when it comes to even passing
those bonds, which needs a two -thirds threshold
to even pass, maybe doing more PSAs regarding
elections because we often participate in the
largest elections that pertain to the federal
government. But when it comes to the smaller
governments, Turnout is not even that good. You
know, counties do run the elections. They do.
Did you know that? Yes. Mary Hall. Very good.
Yeah. Of course, we don't write the rules around
how the elections get run and what thresholds.
That's really up to the legislature. You probably
knew that, too. You didn't tell us how old you
are. Are you over 18 years old? Yes, I'm an eligible
voter. I voted this past election. That's what
I was going to ask. Were you eligible to vote
in November? Yes, I am. Okay. Was that the first
time? That was the first ballot. How did that
feel? Felt amazing. We did the process in, you
know, as I mentioned, I'm part of the government
where we mock the government or mock the legislature.
And by mock, you mean? Not by making fun of.
I had to clarify. Not in that aspect. Because,
you know, I'm hearing your mother say, don't
you mock me, young man. No. No. We think that
mock government is like imitate in a way. Like
a mocktail instead of a cocktail. Yes. Right.
Yeah. Why is it that you know that reference
when I bring it up? Oh. So you guys have classes
or opportunities to kind of pretend. Yes. Right.
Where you're acting like the government. Exactly.
Okay. Okay. And fun fact, I was the youth lieutenant
governor for that. youth and government program
at the Capitol. Did that feel, did it feel like
you had all the power? The gavel does definitely
help you out with the power. Once you hold the
gavel, it's like, oh my gosh. It's like a magic
stick, right? Yeah. You almost feel like it's
Thor's hammer. And like when you're like about
to pound it on the table, it's just like, I think
that's the best feeling you can get. Oh, be careful.
Be careful with that gavel. Well, so you're old
enough to vote. You voted in November. You know,
Counties, especially with local elections, they
produce a voter's pamphlet many times. Do you
think counties do a good enough job reaching
out to young people who are eligible to vote
to inform them about the issues? I think there
have been attempts, and I know at the Youth and
Government Conference at the Capitol that I have
done, we actually used the county voting system
to help run our own mock elections for next year's
major officers, such as the governor, lieutenant
governor, all those positions. So I guess for
a lot of people, just physically going there
and voting at the polling booth can probably
say, hey, this is a cool idea. When can I sign
up? And I think like in terms of advertisement,
I can always say there needs to be more done,
especially maybe interviewing some people that
are young voters and why it's important to vote,
regardless of the political bias or polarization
we've seen in the country. But I think at the
same time, I feel like Washington state has done
an absolutely amazing job in trying to get voter
accessibility when it comes to mail -in ballots
as opposed to, you know. stuff I've seen across
the country where they wait in lines to vote.
You know, when I was your age and I voted for
the first time, we still had polling stations
where we would go. And oftentimes they were at
the school, like at the gym or somewhere else
on a community building where you would actually
go and you would sign in and they would check
off the fact that you were there and they'd give
you a ballot and you'd go to your booth and you
would vote and you'd come out and turn it in
and rip off your little stub and get your sticker
that said, I voted and off you go. I actually
kind kind of miss that a little bit from a nostalgic
point of view. And I even brought my kids a couple
of times when they were really little, just so
that they could kind of see what was going on
and was made kind of an event. Do you think voting,
do you think the fact that, at least from a young
person's point of view, I mean, I understand
the accessibility and the ease of voting, but
do you think that people take it more for granted
when it's easier to do than if it is kind of
that, you know, life event that you have to actually...
deliberately go and make a point to actually
accomplish. That's actually a good point you
mentioned because where I used to live in South
Carolina, that's how they did voting. And I think
even... When you say that's how they did voting,
how did they do it? Where you had to go to the
polling booth? In person. It's an in -person
polling booth. And I think even... to like voting
like that type of style, like this past May at
the youth and government conference, like it
didn't feel like a sense of like, okay, I actually
vote with my passion, with my conscience. And
by putting this ballot in, I'm participating
in, you know, the electoral process. And for
some ways, you know, that can incentivize people
to go vote. And I do agree with your statement
that like, you know, although we have so much
accessibility to voting, which is a good thing,
sometimes, you know, bringing that nostalgia
or feeling. can make you feel more inclined that
your voice does matter and I'm doing something
to participate in the democracy we have here.
Yeah. So you don't think that it necessarily
negatively affects people's impression or their,
you don't think it really makes them think of,
how do I put this? They're not. it's not something
that they're just taking more for granted. You
think they still really appreciate the opportunity
to take part in that process? I think so as well.
Well, you know, the numbers show that turnout
is better when you make it easier and it actually
costs less money, which is a good thing too from,
you know, just a... government efficiency standpoint.
I guess I'm just old. I guess I just miss the
old days and the way things used to be. And that's
okay. That's okay. You know, you also mentioned
something I want to hit on. You know, we've talked
about elections a little bit. We've talked about
mental health. And I certainly am interested
in any other areas of policy that you think are
important to today's youth that counties can
have an impact on. But you also mentioned the
impact of social media. And I know social media
is a big deal. It's a big deal to everyone, but
it's certainly even a bigger deal to your generation,
right? We didn't have social media when I was
your age. We certainly didn't have telephones
like this. We carried them around in suitcases
and they were this big, right? I'm sure you've
seen those in museums. Yeah, I've seen them.
What role do you think social media plays in
shaping? the viewpoint of young people today
around policy or political issues? And how do
you think counties can, you know, take advantage
of that or influence that or be a part of, you
know, talking with or communicating with youth
in social media? Yeah, I think social media is
a very powerful tool because it's at the tip
of your fingers. If you can record something,
whether it's a political statement or maybe even
creating an infographic post that can be posted
elsewhere, it can definitely influence a lot
of people because it's a picture, which is basically
a thousand words. When I see social media for
our generation, I definitely see in a lot of
campaigning because I got a chance to work on
a campaign trail for a couple candidates in the
area. So you actually worked on candidate campaigns?
Yeah. And was this recent? Yeah, as recent as
2024. Okay. Do you mind if you tell us what candidates?
Well, first of all, did they win? Yes, they were.
Okay, because we don't want to put you at risk
if you back the losing candidate. So who were
these candidates? I worked for Congresswoman
Shirklin's campaign. Okay. So I got a chance
to work for a political director. And most of
her campaigning was through grassroots, like
get out the vote events. So it was like knocking
on doors and doing the traditional canvassing
and all that stuff. But I've met people that
worked on campaigns. that did the digital side
of it. And, you know, they were probably taking
photos or maybe recording statements or maybe
getting in and do like a TikTok trend that was
deemed to be cool and hopefully pulling voters.
And even in the 2024 presidential elections,
I noticed like the usage of TikTok and, you know,
Instagram Reels really did influence like who
Gen Z really want to vote for just based on their
likeness and whether or not they can appeal to
them based on. And for some people. It can just
be that one TikTok or that short clip that can
definitely change their perception of how they
vote as a person. But let me push back on you
just a little bit. So one TikTok, one social
media post, suddenly that is the magic that shapes
a person's entire opinion. Do you think that's
right, number one? And number two, don't people
have... an obligation to go beyond that, to maybe
see at least 10 posts, you know, maybe five videos
from different, you know, TikTokers or people
that come from different walks of life just to
get a better rounded view. And so much of the
information online today, especially in social
media, is just bull, right? It's just made up.
It's AI. It's, you know, it's just intentionally
wrong or misleading or even worse right it's
from a bad actor who's trying to achieve a whole
other you know manipulative outcome and you're
a pawn in that scheme right not so much for school
board or you know for for county commissioner
maybe or for city council but someone you know
a congressional race perhaps you know a presidential
race Absolutely. Right. I mean, there's been
wide reporting about that. Do you think youth
take that seriously today? Do you think they
understand the potential that social media has
to actually, you know, use them in that way and
to manipulate their points of view? I think,
you know, social media, as you mentioned, can
be easily reconfigured in them, whether it's
like posting an infographic or posting something
that. isn't given the full context of what it
of what the true intentions of that post is and
you're right that um i do agree that like you
know with social media like easily influencing
for some people it's in one ear out the other
and then they want to think critically but at
the same time many people are very susceptible
into falling into like these um holes where of
misinformation and yet it can definitely damage
the way that our country works. And especially
when it comes to government, it can definitely
influence the idea of, you know, anti -government
rhetoric or extremist rhetoric to the point that,
like, is there even a sense of trust within their
own government? So although, yes, it can be beneficial
into, like, influencing, you know, elections
and the way we elect our people, at the same
time, it can be... It's a double -edged sword.
It can definitely harm people. Well, I definitely
get a lot of news, right, from social media and
from online. I mean, I carry this thing around.
It's like if this isn't in my pocket, and for
people who are listening to this and can't see
it, I'm holding my phone, right? Not only am
I holding my phone, I'm talking into a microphone,
and there's a laptop in front of me, right? I'm
like wired to the world, even though I hate the
fact that I am. When I go and I get in my car,
you know, my phone pairs with my car, and it
tells me where to go and what to do and how I'm
doing as far as my driving goes and it can make
phone calls and send texts and accept texts.
It's crazy, right? And I get a lot of information
from this as well, both news, social media and
otherwise. But I also spend a lot of time just
talking to people, right? How much do you guys
spend on your phones today versus... talking
to each other. Yeah. If I check my screen time
right now, it's not healthy. It's not healthy.
Well, self -awareness is the first step, right?
Yeah, definitely. We've got a 12 -step program
here at WASAC. We'll help you out. But I think
you're right. I think government is also a social
aspect as well, like meeting new people, talking
to strangers. um especially during the pandemic
like you know and even going after the pandemic
like the first year back of school it felt you
know a bit awkward and i guess that's why we
were glued to our phones a lot because we thought
that was the only way that we could connect with
people through online or through facetime but
seeing those face -to -face connections can give
a bit of anxiety at some point and um I think
if you use your screen time appropriately, like
you use it for good, whether it's for productive
reasons or, you know, maybe you want to, you're
curious in researching questions, by all means,
like do it, but do it in a safe manner. And I
think that's when it comes to like, not even
screen time, but just anything that has tolerance,
you just need to, you know, consume it or use
it responsibly. You think the county has any
role? and that at all with young people i mean
they have a public health department so definitely
they can put out information regarding like you
know mindfulness tips and connecting that back
to behavioral health um county government can
also i don't think they can make any official
policy that we ban you know phone usage at this
time this time because We're a free state, so
we have a lot of rights into that. Did your school
do a phone policy around access? Yes, we did.
Those have been really controversial. Yes, it
wasn't as conservative as schools where they...
placed them in a pouch or they lock them up into
a bin. But I think it's just the enforcement
can condition the students to not use their phones.
And initially... Was that accepted by the student
body or did people fight against that? It took
a while, but then once he got through on the
year, it's just like, okay, whatever. And there's
still some freedom. You can use it during lunch.
You can use it during passing period or in between
classes. But you cannot use it in your class.
For some teachers, it also comes to their discretion
whether or not they want to enforce it or whether
or not they say, okay, you don't use it, but
I'm not going to write you up into the office.
Again, it's a slippery slope for the phone policy.
I think in this digital age, it's kind of hard
to not coexist with it, even though it feels
like a weird statement because technology has
been so adaptive to it. But when it comes to
the phone usage at schools, I mean, you know,
I think it would take a while for students to
fully, like, understand. But at least for the
most part, it's received generally good feedback
for the phone policy. So you mentioned something
else that I'm really curious about. You talked
about the pandemic and how you communicated during
the pandemic. And you were probably 12, right,
around when the pandemic? Seventh grade. Is 12
and maybe a little bit more older. 12, 13 years
old? Yeah. So you remember it, though. It was
seventh grade. So you had a regular school experience
up until seventh grade. Yeah. And then boom,
the pandemic hit. March 13. March. So you remember
the day. Yeah. Okay. And how long did it last?
How long were you out of school physically where
you were just doing online? It was from that
day in March, not until like... I think April
of eighth grade year. Okay, so a full year. Full
year. So the rest of seventh grade. And then
part of eighth grade. And then part of eighth
grade. Then you were back in class. The hybrid
schedule. Okay. If you're in classes one, two,
and three, you go this way. And the rest, you
go offline. And it's vice versa. Okay. Yes. Yeah.
Was it weird coming back? How was that transition?
It was definitely weird. It's concerning, you
know, we still had face masks. And it was kind
of hard to say, is that you? seeing people grow
out their hair or you know yeah because that's
an awkward age anyways and your your body's changing
a lot and you're growing some people probably
grew a foot yeah it's like i haven't seen you
in a while and it felt like one class reunion
like oh my gosh good to see you and same with
the teachers like oh my gosh good to see you
as well right but i still remember eighth grade
i was yesterday and as if it was you know yesterday
and just seeing that like oh my like you know
the people in a place felt kind of like oh my
gosh i missed you and i think with that um comes
the idea about the human connection that we are
we've been you know evolutionized to to be connected
with others and that's been in our genes ever
since you know the time of man and you know you
know although how awkward it was i think with
those obstacles that are given to us we'll always
find a way to you know, keep moving forward.
What about academically, though? Do you think
that was it a struggle for you when you came
back? Do you think that you lost anything academically
during that period of time? Do you feel like
you are at a disadvantage now going into college
and having been through that experience and been
out of class for that period of time? you know
thankfully it wasn't a younger grade as i heard
some people like they missed their first two
years of elementary school and that can be definitely
a tough learning curve and um but especially
taking like math test scores like that first
year back like it was like it was rusty you know
you haven't trained your brain that much because
there was a lot of zoom classes Um, but, um,
I think within those learning gaps, there's ways
to adapt. And thankfully, you know, with our
teachers at our high school, they were able to
adapt, but also prepare us right for college.
And I think not only. You think you had enough
time to kind of make up. Yes. And I'm pretty
sure by now many, you know, universities and
higher ed probably also adapt to that learning
loss as well, you know, and the best thing to
do now is just to, you know, keep no teaching
content to the younger. students entering school
at a quicker rate. But I think since it affected
a lot of people in the United States and even
around the world, I feel like it's just become
a new norm. Well, there's going to be a lot of
online class opportunities when you're in college,
for sure. There's a lot of that stuff that transitioned,
hasn't gone away. And I'm sure there'll be opportunities
for you to take those classes. So maybe in the
long run, it was a bit of an... because you got
an early exposure to it. Exactly. So we've talked
about, Gamma, we've talked about a couple of
things. We've talked about, we touched on mental
health a little bit. We talked a little bit about
public health. We talked a bit about social media
and voting for young people and kind of the voting
process. We talked a little bit about some effects
from the pandemic. What have we missed? What
else do you think is, what else is kind of the
hot topic for today's youth around policy? that
you think counties can have an impact on. Yes.
If anything. Yeah. I think there's one more thing
that I haven't talked about yet, and it kind
of relates to policy and politics, is polarization
and how to combat misinformation. Because in
a country that - Well, we touched on that a little
when we were talking about social media, right?
With social media, I see that part. But even
engaging with people that come from different
backgrounds, it feels like - Um, we've been put
into this state that, you know, if you're on
my side, if you're not on my side and you're
my enemy, which, you know, can be, you know,
hyper, you know, it can be spread out through
social media, like hyper expressed in that way.
But, um, even at school, sometimes like, let's
say there was a controversial event that happened
at high school, you know, and I'm not going to
get into, I'm not going to, I don't think I'm
going to say too much about that. people can
also get riled up there as well in the heat of
the moment. So that's interesting that you bring
that up because I can tell you as adults, which,
you know, technically you are one now, but still
a young person. But as a more experienced adult
who's seen a lot more life, I mean, I recognize
that polarization a lot. And we have a lot of
leaders within county government who recognize
that as well and work really hard on the local
level to try to kind of break those. divisions
down and to get back to civil discourse, right?
And to get back to the point where we can actually
sit in a room and talk about things and have
hard conversations. It's interesting that you
see it as a young person as well, but I guess
my question would be, if you see it, why do you
think young people are so susceptible to it?
Because you are the target of social media by
far more than anyone else, right? Social media
is made for you, right? Other people take advantage
of it. Other people use it. But these organizations,
these companies, these corporations are targeting
the young people because you are the more frequent
user. You're the person that's going to take
it into the future. If you're seeing it, why
do you think... You as a group are still so susceptible
to it. I think, you know, for one thing, it could
just be the new digital norm. There's like, okay,
this exists. These problems exist. And sometimes
it could be from the hopelessness that people
had within like, OK, there's no solution left.
We're just going to accept the fact and just
try to move on without doing any direct action
on it. And when it even comes to like seeing
TikToks or short reels of, let's say, controversial
moments or like news clips and stuff. That may
or may not be real. That may or may not be real.
It can be fabricated or things can be taken out
of context. And then if you just look at the
comments section, I mean, it's just basically
a political debate that is not televised at all.
And I think for young people, they want to be
in the heat of the moment. And I think that's
something that we're still trying to develop
with our brains. We're sometimes a little immature.
We want to like... be the aggressor when you
fight head on and et cetera. Sure. And for some
people, that's their way of entertaining their
own lives. Sometimes being internet troll or
just really the person that really wants to debate
any at all, anything possible. You think county
governments can have an impact there at all?
I think county government can do some curriculum
relating to like media bias and also how to spot
misinformation and how to like, you know, think
more. um concrete and try to find different perspectives
and try to create a well informed opinion that
can be one thing but um yet again no if you even
if you offer one thing anything can be taken
to pull it into political use whether it's left
or right. So I think for a county, they need
to get a common ground. And I know the lieutenant
governor has been doing a good job in trying
to promote civility and trying to find a common
ground from both left and right. But I think
the county can definitely focus more on, again,
misinformation, media training, and how to spot
out things that can be taken out of context.
Well, I have it on good authority that... Lieutenant
Governor Heck is a huge fan of this podcast.
He's an avid listener, and I'm sure he's going
to love that shout out you just gave him. Oh,
yeah. Well, Gavin, it's been a really interesting
conversation. I'm glad you came by today. Congratulations
on your impending graduation. What brings, well,
not what brings, but what do you think is in
the future? What does the future hold for you,
do you think? I'm hoping that, you know, for
my future ahead is that we can live in a society
where we can see one another without the intent
of harming one another. I already had a TED Talk
on this regarding, like, how do we try to find
common ground? And many people really want to
see this, you know, future. They want to share
this future or the same dream that I have. And
I think it's just maybe, encouraging people to
take those baby steps which can be a huge step
for some people and and hopefully with that you
know they can see more process future where we
can find policy that can accommodate both people,
work down the middle to deliver a common goal
and to help create a more sustainable community
in my lifetime. Well, that sounds like a great
goal to me. You're interested in policy. You've
done a little work with some of these government
groups. You talk about going to the Capitol campus
as the hill, like you're a seasoned lobbyist.
Where are you going to college? Have you decided
yet? Well, I have UW or Gonzaga on my back. Okay.
I'm definitely trying to... Have both said, we
want you? Yes, both did say they did want me.
Boy, so that's a good problem to have, UW or
Gonzaga. Are you leaning one way or the other?
I mean, I just got the UW notification last night
that I got off their wait list. So I think what
I'm going to be doing moving forward is giving
them a couple of calls and just questioning them
and saying, what do you offer? How can you help
support me in the best interest? And here are
my goals and how do you think you can help me
achieve them? Okay. Okay. Well, I mean, Spokane
or Seattle, right? Yeah. The most populated city
or the second most populated city? And either
way, that's going to be a big change from Olympia
High School, that's for sure. Oh, yeah, definitely.
What about a run for president or something like
that in the future? Maybe a lieutenant governor?
Yes, I do like... I mean, I... got the chance
to, you know, we always need, we always need
good County commissioners. Yes. Well, we're County
commissioners or even city council. I know, um,
city council has been also like nagging on his,
maybe you should forget about city council. Well,
you know, we're County folks, wherever my path
will take me. Cause I can't fully commit. Like
I'm going to be president one day. It's good
to have those dreams and goals, but you know,
I'm also very open to like, what is the path
that I'll find later in life? So, but if the
time comes. I'll definitely be asking for endorsements.
Well, just be open to the possibilities. And
you heard it right here. What's your last name
again, Gavin? Cruz. Gavin Cruz for County Commissioner,
what, 2035 maybe. He's looking for your endorsement.
Gavin, thanks for coming by today. Thank you
so much. Appreciate the time. Congratulations
again and good luck. Thank you. Appreciate it.
You bet. Thanks for tuning in to County Connection.
Stay in the loop by subscribing to us through
your preferred podcasting app and following us
on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. And don't
forget to join the hub, your go to source for
the latest news and updates from the Washington
State Association of Counties. Until next time,
stay connected and stay informed.