Wilmington University’s Dover campus welcomed the 2026 Congressional Delegation Youth Conference.
Senators Chris Coons andLisa Blunt Rochester, and Congresswoman Sarah McBride took questions from some of the nearly 120 high school students in attendance
The questions focused on housing, education, immigration, AI, and health research, among other topics.
Coons and McBride both attended a youth conference when they were in high school. Coons says it's something that fueled his motivation for a career in politics- and why he’s returns to them now as a U.S. Senator.
"I think one of the most foundational experiences of a democracy is realizing that the people who represent you in Washington work for you. I can’t think of an easier and more direct way to give high schoolers that experience than to have them ask us questions and have us actually answer them." he told DPM.
Senator Blunt Rochester says that beyond the educational aspect, today's youth are "very important" for them to hear from as law
makers,
"They're the ones who are experiencing things on the ground here in Delaware and they can tell us, and educate us, as well also share with them. We're here to represent them." she said.
She also says that the event might spark aspiring legislators, as it did for Coons and McBride,
"We hope that we're encouraging them to take the baton from us and be the leaders of this country." she said.
And, McBride echoed her senate colleagues, saying that those in attendance are all constituents, even ones that can't vote yet.
"Thes are our constituents. We need to hear from them, and they need to hear from us. At a moment when some politicians in Washington govern in a way that suggests that matter are the people that voted for them, this is an opportunity to make it clear that we value that we value the voices and opinions of all of our constituents whether they voted for us or not." she said.
Jemimah Beabien is a junior at Polytech High School. She says she appreciated the opportunity to engage with Senator Blunt Rochester.
“I learned something from all of them [but] Lisa [Blunt] Rochester, she is the same skin color as me so, she went through things that I’m still going through now, so I learned something from her.” she told DPM.
Beabien said that the conference also reaffirmed something she already believed: anyone can stand up for something they believe in.
"They showed me that today- because they're all different, they all believe in different things, but they all came together collectively to help... the state and nationwide."
Following the Q&A session, students took part in volunteer projects with the Delaware Food Bank and Pressley Ridge, which provides services for families in need.
