AAC
LAW CLERK UPDATE
County Youth Councils — Investing in the community leaders of tomorrow
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n recent years, county officials have reported they feel their communities are underserved in the area of local civics education. At the same time, youth face unique and evolving challenges to their success and resilience, and public understanding and education have moved toward national, not local, civics studies. Today’s youth are coming of age in a time when national policy and politics overshadow the reality that the majority of transformative change happens at the local level. To work toward a population of more civically engaged youth, many communities across the country have implemented programs called youth councils, which work to enhance the understanding of local government and its role for public service oriented youth. Why form a youth council? Today’s youth face complex social pressures and forces such as fragmented family and social systems, public disengagement, and a lack of access to supportive programs and services. Youth are challenged in today’s increasingly involved world in terms of education, future employment, and developing the social and emotional skills needed to succeed. Communities can support youth against these risks and pressures in developing the next generation of community members and leaders. Young people should know about democracy as a process in which they can engage, policy as a way they can achieve goals, and community as a vehicle for these actions. We build a better society and economy when we engage youth. Rural counties are experiencing the out-migration of talented youth who leave for professional or educational opportunities and choose not to return home. While some students may choose not to return home due to professional opportunities elsewhere, young adults often would like to return home, but are unaware of available professional opportunities in the community. Youth councils can expose talented young adults to opportunities in the community that may be available upon high school or college graduation and provide invaluable professional and leadership development experiences that will add additional value and experience to the community workforce. Youth councils can promote civic engagement by giving youth a role in local decision making, offering real world experience with elected and advisory bodies, educating youth on the role of local government, increasing communication between youth and adults, increasing youth 26
volunteerism, and enhancing civic education. Youth councils allow local government to be more representative of the entire community, encourage youth to be more active in the political process, and work to create sustainable leadership for the future of the community.
Amie Alexander AAC Law Clerk
Who’s involved with a youth council? A youth council may be created and overseen by a variety of individuals at the discretion of the county implementing the program. Some communities delegate this authority to an individual county official or department, while others choose to work in collaboration with a local high school, an extra-curricular student organization, an area nonprofit organization, or a combination of partners. The audience of a youth council is wholly dependent on the selected purpose and mission of the program, as well as the unique needs and network of the county. It is crucial to recruit a diverse group of youth that reflects the makeup of the community so participants can contribute perspectives from a variety of life experiences shaped by issues affecting the community. While the age and number of participants selected is solely at the discretion of the county implementing the program, most youth councils work with youth who are between grades eight and 12. These participants should be competitively selected through an application process. What should a youth council focus on? Program planners should make sure to strike a balance in the program between engaging young people in meaningful opportunities while still understanding they are young people with talents, opinions, and passions still forming. Programs should include material for professional, leadership, and character development, as well as material focusing on informing youth about current issues and policy options to address those issues. Most youth councils operate on a monthly system and rotate through different topics. The following are examples of local government issues that some youth councils have focused on: Introduction to County Government; County Budgeting and Financing; Health and Human Services; Education; Local Businesses and Economic Development; COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2018
