Law Clerk Update

County Youth Councils — Investing in the community leaders of tomorrow

In 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 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.

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;

Amie Alexander AAC Law Clerk

State Government; and the Judicial System and Public Safety. Youth councils should also provide material for personal development, such as material focusing on communication and networking skills, leadership development, financial literacy, and volunteer and community service.

How do you establish a youth council?

Counties establishing a youth council should keep in mind two driving principles: (1) a commitment to building a solid foundation for the program and (2) an unwavering belief that youth engagement in government is good for government. Beyond these two guiding principles, County Youth Council planners can focus on several steps.

1. Form the Foundation: Organize and outline your intentions for the program. What is your vision for this youth council? What is its mission? What objectives and goals does the county have for this program, and how will these objectives be achieved?

2. Assess Community Needs and Program Capacity:

What specific community needs do you foresee a youth council might address? What resources are available to you? Are there organizations or individuals in the community that would serve as beneficial strategic partners? Could these organizations or individuals offer their expertise in the planning process, by participating in the program, or by offering community service projects or speaking to program participants?

3. Plan and Develop Capacity: One or more planners should focus on selecting topics of focus, developing curriculum, developing collaboration plans with those who will provide their expertise for the youth council, and developing a scheduling structure.

Others should focus on the drafting and adoption of bylaws, drafting the application process, publicizing the youth council, and collaborating with community organizations and key stakeholders to recruit the youth council’s future members. 4. Seek Feedback: Program planners should seek feedback from community stakeholders on the structure, focus, and curriculum of the council.

5. Plan for Program Maintenance and Sustainability:

County Youth Council planners should plan with the future in mind. Will the initial funding be available for additional years? Will the council’s focus depend upon each incoming class of participants, or will it remain set in stone for each year? County Youth Council planners should also plan for program evaluation methods in order to gain feedback from participants, collaborators, and community members and stakeholders on the program. Implemented feedback will serve to strengthen the program, demonstrate its impact, and assist in securing ongoing funding and other resources.

Where do I start?

This year, while working as an Association of Arkansas Counties law clerk, I worked to develop a resource guide that puts the tools for creating a youth council into the hands of county officials. This resource guide is intended to save county officials time and resources in determining whether a youth council would be beneficial for their counties and, if they decide to do so, planning the youth council. The full-length guide provides more in-depth information on the background and research-demonstrated need for youth councils, specific guidance for the planning process, and examples of each step along the way. The guide also includes best practice research from existing youth councils both on the national level and from existing Arkansas programs. If you are interested in forming a youth council or are looking for more information after this overview, you may download the guide at www.arcounties.org/site/ assets/files/4707/countyyouthcouncilstoolkit.pdf. It is my hope that a guide of this nature will make creating a youth council more accessible and manageable, leading to thriving County Youth Councils that foster civic education, deepen the discussion of local policy issues, and develop leadership and public service values in future community leaders.