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City Platform Section I, Step 3:
"Encourage and support youth voice, engagement, and leadership through a mayor's youth council, appointment of youth to municipal boards and committees, and/or community-wide youth summits."
City officials make decisions that affect youth on a daily basis, but young people often have no direct role in shaping or influencing local policies and programs. Nothing is more important to the health of our democracy than the active engagement of young people in representative government at the local level. For this reason alone, mayors and city councilmembers across the nation have sought creative and effective ways to ensure that youth from diverse ethnic, economic, cultural, and language backgrounds have a "seat at the table" in their cities and towns, as well as the training they need to fully participate.
City Examples
Hampton, Va.
The Hampton Youth Commission, composed of a diverse group of high-school aged young people, champions the youth component of the city's Comprehensive Plan and appropriates the funds to youth initiatives through its grant program. Two youth work as city planners, and the Youth Commission places youth members on other boards and commissions. By integrating young people into the city infrastructure, the City of Hampton ensures that youth views and ideas will be factored into a range of municipal decisions.
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Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas, holds an annual youth summit to train youth and to highlight topics of importance to the youth of the city. One aspect of the summit provides training and education to youth on topics as varied as crime prevention, avoidance of drugs and alcohol, prevention of abuse, and how to marshal effective youth voice. In addition, the summit attracts various booths and displays from area organizations, many of which offer learning opportunities as well as recreational activities.
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Resources
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