Leadership
Stories
Aaron Gordon
The youngest person in American history to co-author a piece of
legislation, Aaron Gordon is a pioneer among youth activists.
He worked for nine years to rally support around the issue of
school-bus safety. After his petition to install seatbelts in
school buses was denied by the Dade County School Board, Gordon
turned his attention towards building public will around his cause.
He began by collecting over 6,000 signatures in support of increased
safety standards on school busses. Gordon then recruited the support
of policy elite, teaming with Congressman Andy Jacobs, Jr. of
Indiana to co-author Bill H.R. 266, which calls for seatbelts
on all school busses.
To distribute his message, Gordon employed many communication
tools: he has appeared in numerous media outlets, advocating for
his cause on television programs as well as in newspapers and
magazines. He also launched a large-scale letter-writing campaign
and published several op-ed pieces in local and regional publications.
His efforts earned him national support and finally resulted in
some major changes: all school buses in the state of Florida must
now adhere to his safety requirements, which include safety belts,
higher seatbacks, flame-retardant seats, and background checks
on all school-bus drivers. This spring, Gordon will graduate from
the University of Washington in Saint Louis and hopes to begin
work with the Peace Corps next year.
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