MOUNT VERNON — Chance connections frequently spark creativity. When they lead to collaboration and change, it’s even better.
Such was the case several years ago when Auralie Yoder heard Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr talk about getting youth involved in local government.
Starr participated in the April 2020 Knox Pages forum Coronavirus Conversations. Yoder, a Mount Vernon High School sophomore, tuned into the presentation.
She became excited when Starr spoke about a Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC), an initiative that gets students involved in their community and gives them a voice in making decisions toward the city’s future.
Yoder contacted Starr, and the two had several meetings during her junior year. She helped write the bylaws and recruit members for the youth council, coordinating with Starr through Justin Sanford at MVHS. In September 2022, as a senior, Yoder became president of Mount Vernon’s first youth council.
“I think it’s really cool that we can both focus on our community, not just now but also in the future as adults,” Yoder said. “It is important to educate people my age so we’re informed when we are adults because we are going to be making the decisions.”
Starr said the youth council idea started brewing when he campaigned for the mayor’s office in 2015.
“I think working with youth in the theater was really a driving force because I saw how children worked closely with adults in that setting to tell effective stories and contribute to our cultural and social development as a community,” he said. “Likewise, I thought, ‘why can’t we do that with our local government also?’”
As it turns out, youth enjoy being asked what is important to them.
“By involving youth in our strategic planning, their perspective has driven influence in policy on infrastructure,” Starr said. “One of the youth-suggested pieces of advice to the city is to have more and better sidewalks and multi-use paths to get around town.”
How it works
The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child established that “a child’s ‘right to the city’ includes the opportunity to participate in local governance.” Youth councils provide that opportunity.
Starr says the MYC is important for several reasons:
•Provides leadership opportunities for youth through community projects they choose
•Offers a closer look into how local government functions through educational presentations by elected officials, staff, and city partners
•Gives youths a chance to have their voice heard in decisions that go into future planning
“The youth are a base of our population who cannot vote but have to live with the decisions we make as government officials,” he said. “When we started to seek participants, I asked questions like ‘Who is going to want a good job? Who is going to want a nice place to live in Mount Vernon? Wouldn’t you like to have the opportunity to be a part of that decision-making now?’”
To serve on the MYC, students must be in grades 9 through 12 and carry a minimum 2.0 grade point average. The council meets monthly from September through May; students must attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled meetings.
The council follows Robert’s Rules of Order, has an agenda, and learns about an aspect of city government at each meeting. MYC members also created a budget, solicited and received sponsorship for T-shirts, and chose the Winter Sanctuary and New Directions for community service projects.
Other communities’ experience
Youth councils are found internationally and make their mark in different ways:
•In Belgium, a youth council transformed a trailer into a radio station and visited schools before an election, educating students on the candidates and issues.
•A Costa Rica youth council organized art, dance, and theater productions as drug-prevention measures.
•A rural council in Kosovo developed a schedule for youth volunteers to deliver food and medicine to the elderly population in its town.
Stateside, youth councils proliferate at all levels of government from California to Maine. Closer to home, the Village of Jeromesville established a youth council in 2018, and the Ashland County Community Foundation established a Youth Impact Council in 2015.
Across the board, municipalities report that youth councils positively affect park revitalization efforts, mental health services, and environmental issues, among others. According to youth council advisor Cindy Murray, that holds true in Lafayette, IN.
“The projects that we have done really do leave an impact on the City of Lafayette,” she told Knox Pages via email.
One such project was creating a city flag at the request of Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski. Over two years, students studied city history, researched flags, and developed prototypes. Lafayette City Council adopted a design in April 2007 and raised the flag for the first time at a June 2007 concert.
“The youth are surprisingly knowledgeable about current events and what is important for our community and world,” Murray said.
Unable to meet for two years due to COVID-19, Murray plans to reconvene the council in September 2023. As council advisor for 19 years, she is now seeing the initiative’s results.
“Several [former youth council members] are precinct committee folks and are part of a younger movement. A couple are involved in government journalism locally,” she said.
“I just received an email from a gal that was on the council several years ago and is now a senior at Purdue [University]. She did an internship in our Redevelopment Department and wanted me to know she was influenced with her career decisions because of the youth council and her participation.”
When structured correctly, education consultant Brian Brady says youth councils are a powerful tool. However, he cautions that councils can struggle to reach their full potential if they have a weak program design and lack resources or adult support for the youth.
For Murray, attendance is the biggest challenge.
“The kids are so busy with their extra-curricular activities, jobs, and volunteer work,” she explained. “But I am very lenient with them as I know they really are interested.”
The future
For MVHS senior Yoder, the No. 1 goal for the youth council is to raise awareness of the program and get more people involved next year.
“Just improve on it next year,” she said of the council, adding that it is a new idea that is just getting started. “It’s important to just be involved in local government.”
Starr sees the MYC as a “farm team” concept to recruit future board and commission members. Serving on boards and commissions can then be a springboard to elected office opportunities.
“One area of concern we have in the city is in the area of recruitment for future team members who are attracted to public service. Certainly, future team members of the city is a hope of mine,” he said.
“Secondly, I hope to see participants increase their civic engagement through serving different nonprofit organizations as well as participate in the political process. Communities all around are having a hard time finding qualified persons to run for local elected offices.”
Starr acknowledged that youth council members typically are already “go-getters” and heavily involved in other high school clubs, which means there needs to be a way to reach youth who usually are not involved. He cited the youth council members’ desire to invite a friend to their lunch-packing activity for the Winter Sanctuary as a way to spread awareness and increase participation.
He also points to diversity as part of the answer.
“One of the other facts known about youth councils is that there is a much more likelihood of reaching a diversity of participants. If we can reach a greater diverse population at a younger age, can we see that bear fruit in the future?” he asked. “I hope so. In the meantime, we will continue to reach out to those who wish to participate.”
Starr takes a long-term generational view of the youth council and civic involvement.
“One of the things I have realized in public service is that decisions are made by those who bother to show up,” he said. “If we can start getting some concerned, well-minded youth who are courageous and wish to help the city manage our growth with forward-thinking decisions, I’d say Mount Vernon is going to be just fine.”
