WeGo youth action team reports year of outreach, bus‑stop cleaning and a New York study

The WeGo Youth Action Team presented its year‑end report to the Nashville MTA board, describing outreach events, social‑media content, a New York study and volunteer efforts to clean bus stops.

The team, housed at the Oasis Center and coordinated by Alyssa Vega, said eight high school students produced materials and direct outreach aimed at increasing youth transit ridership and improving rider experience. “It is a team of 8 high school students who are just incredibly passionate about public transit and increasing the culture and youth ridership of transit in our wonderful city,” Vega said.

Students summarized specific activities and results. Anna Chan said the group staffed a WeGo tent at Celebrate Nashville to distribute flyers and speak with voters about a transportation referendum. Jack Ross described social‑media videos produced ahead of high‑attendance events to promote youth ridership. Michael Epstein described teams that rode routes to pick up trash, wipe shelters and sanitize benches to counter stigma about bus cleanliness. The group also reported a funded trip to New York for field interviews and a subsequent report, enabled by a local memorial fund and WeGo support.

Board members praised the presentation and encouraged returning students to reapply; the board’s public comments and chair remarks noted the presentations as a recurring highlight. The students’ slides and a written report were left with the board for reference.

The presentation occurred during the NICE (New Initiatives and Community Engagement) committee portion of the meeting and concluded with applause from board members.