12 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT
AUGUST 2021
NEWS
CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS
YOUNGER VOICES I
by kevin fitzgerald
n 1998, the city of Indio formed its Youth Advisory Council in an effort to engage the city’s youth more with local elected leaders. Now more than 20 years later, the council remains a unique presence in the Coachella Valley. “The Youth Advisory Council program gives youth the opportunity to learn about local city government,” said Rosalva Campos, Indio’s community program administrator; she has managed all of YAC’s affairs for more than a dozen years now. “It’s an opportunity to see how the city works. They attend the City Council meetings and sit on the dais with the mayor and the other City Council members—and they have the opportunity to provide (the youth of the city) with a sell lottery tickets to minors. I thought that voice on youth-related issues in here the city we couldn’t really tell (the business owners) of Indio.” anything, and that they would just do what Lupe Ramos Amith has served on the Indio they wanted. So it was a great experience to City Council since 2004. learn that there are things you can do to solve “The Youth Advisory Council has been problems that we see in our community.” integral to the development of all youth Katherine Escalante is another recent Indio programs (in Indio), and with the Teen Center,” High graduate and outgoing YAC member. she told the Independent in a recent interview. “Coming from a person who didn’t really “Early on, when we created the youth master participate much in high school, one thing plan, we, as a council, recognized that our I’m proud of as a part of YAC is that it really population is 25 percent under the age of 18— and if we wanted to grow a healthy community helped me express myself more, and learn more about my community (in relation) to that offered positive programs for our youth, certain events that I didn’t even know the city then we needed to get them involved early on of Indio would do around this community,” in their development to become part of our said Escalante, who plans to attend Cal State city’s future. San Bernardino as an art and design major this “So, (YAC members) were part of designing fall. “So, it’s crazy. One thing I learned from the Teen Center, (including) deciding what the experience is to talk more. Since I was a programs and facilities the Teen Center kid, I’ve been timid and shy. So I learned to would offer, and they continue to give input be more expressive and to give more of my on policy direction that affects the youth opinions when we wanted to do certain things of our community. We really appreciate the for our community. I was able to be involved input they’ve given us. They’ve given us a that way.” dimensional perspective that can only come Campos explained how the program works. from that age demographic. (One member “There is no set number (of members), so it sits) on the dais with us during sessions, and really just depends,” she said. “This past year, they report to us on their research for their there were 14. While only one YAC member activities. Also, they’re big into giving back to sits on the dais at each City Council meeting, the community. I believe that we’re building a all the other members attend and are seated foundation for our youth to eventually be the in the audience. They rotate who is on the leaders of our city.” dais. It actually depends on the YAC mayor, Recent Indio High School graduate Denise who decides how it works, but, typically, they Campos-Lagunas has served on the Youth rotate.” Advisory Council for the last three years. YAC members must live within Indio’s city “I feel like I learned a lot from YAC. I learned limits, maintain at least a 2.5 grade point time management and juggling multiple average, and be in grades 9-12. activities,” she said. “But I guess the most How often does the group meet? “It depends important thing I learned was (how to go on the group,” said Campos. “I just leave it about) looking at something, and then finding up to them. I always tell them, ‘You can meet a way to work with it. So, like, if there was an as much or as little as you want to make it. issue that YAC as a whole was interested in, I This is your group.’ Basically, I just consider learned the problem-solving skills (needed to myself their personal Uber. With most of our address it). kids, transportation is always an issue. So “Over my years, we did a lot. In my first I’ll get them somewhere as long as there’s a year, we did an anti-youth gambling campaign. consensus, and there are going to be enough We did things I didn’t know would be possible, of them to make it worth the trip. During like going to talk to local shop owners and the pandemic, they were meeting every other having them promise that they wouldn’t CVIndependent.com
The city of Indio’s Youth Advisory Council offers elected leaders input—and takes on initiatives of its own
Indio Youth Advisory Council members deliver lunch to JFK Memorial Hospital’s essential workers. Courtesy of the city of Indio
week, and I was surprised. I was setting up the Zoom meetings for them, and they were on it. They were super-active during the pandemic, which really impressed me.” Both the adult and youth councils hope to return to in-person meetings in August. Campos-Lagunas said her interactions with the City Council during her three years on the YAC had a definite impact. “Meeting the City Council felt encouraging to me,” Campos-Lagunas said. “To actually get involved, once I was 18 and was allowed to vote, I felt like my vote does matter, and my voice can have an effect. Before that, I felt like (City Council business) was all private matters—that they knew what they were doing, and (citizens) would only vote now and then. But meeting the City Council members—I know it sounds weird, but you realize that they’re real human beings. I felt more comfortable knowing that they’re normal people.” The Desert Sands Unified School District will open its doors to students on Aug. 18, and the new Youth Advisory Council will get together quickly to choose two specific issues to address during the coming year. “What they’ve been doing is choosing a local and a global issue, and then they determine how they want to fulfill those goals,” Campos said. “Also, what do they need to do? If it requires funds, and most of the time it does, then (they plan out) how they’re going to fundraise, and what they’re going to achieve with it.” Over the years, various iterations of the YAC have done things such as contribute $2,300 to build a well in Uganda, and provide clothes to shelters in Mexico. This past year’s student group wanted to support education in El
Salvador, but the pandemic interfered. “During the pandemic, they had chosen (to provide) hygiene kits for the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission,” Campos said. “For the global (objective), they had chosen education in El Salvador. However, during the pandemic … they couldn’t reach anyone. So, I tried too, and everything (in El Salvador) was pretty much on lockdown. So … they decided to do an additional local issue, which was to support small businesses in Indio by helping essential workers. So, first, they gave pizza from Mario’s Italian Café in Indio to staff at JFK (Memorial Hospital). Next, they served a burrito lunch at the Dr. Carreon (Academy), and that supported Tacos Gonzalez as well. … To see them evolve and actually support small businesses was really cool. Also, they promoted these (efforts) online on their social media. They promoted different businesses and tried to get people to shop local.” The admiration and appreciation between Campos and her YAC mentees seems to be mutual. “Rosalva was a great adviser to have,” said Campos-Lagunas, who will attend UC Irvine this fall. “I’m not sure how to say this, but she’s very relatable. She knows how to talk to the youth and get messages to the youth—but also she gets the job done. My experience with most advisers was that they were scary. They were like, ‘Yeah, we need to do this!’ and they were very distant. But Rosalva has a really great way of reaching out to youth. Not in a way like, ‘I’m in charge of you,’ and, ‘I need to make sure that this gets done,’ but in a way that says, ‘We’re a group, and let’s get this done, but let’s also have some fun.’ She wanted us to enjoy the experience.”