It is critically important to create an environment that motivates the youth council members in their proactive advisory role. One crucial task is to enhance development opportunities to get involved in meaningful and effective activities. Adults can be valuable allies in these efforts by providing structural support or oversight while giving youth sufficient space to make self-guided decisions. Another important task is to tackle any potential frustrations that may arise due to the time it might take to move from planning to implementation by clearly explaining the expected timelines.

Decision-Making

• Initial Brainstorming

• Develop a Work Planning Checklist

• Gather Data

  • Identify needs and the scale of the issue(s)

  • Youth-to-youth surveys

  • Youth-conducted interviews

  • Existing data (see GMA’s data tools for data on Georgia’s cities)

• Use Available Resources

  • Officials and staff

  • School staff

  • Students and youth in general

  • Community members and families

  • Local organizations

• Criteria and Parameters for Your Goals

  • Realistic

  • Desirable

  • Feasible

  • Measurable

  • Sustainable

  • Timing

  • Impact on community

• Project Work Cycle

  • Collect data

  • Develop and specify the idea

  • Set goals and objectives

  • Create an action plan

  • Implementation plan

  • Assess and monitor the impact and success of the projects

• Consider Creating Sub-Committees

  • As project ideas are discussed and decided, consider whether there is a need to establish sub-committees, each of which is focused on specific projects, events or activities

  • Potential sub-committees may be content-specific or based on activities such as social media or data collection

  • Each sub-committee would ideally have an adult member

  • Sub-committees would design their own strategies to successfully accomplish their tasks

  • Each sub-committee would have its own online agenda and action plan which is regularly updated

  • Allow changes in the membership of sub-committees

  • Some sub-committees may be short-term, while others might continue their work during the whole project

  • Match sub-committees and members’ interests and skills.

  • Keep in mind that some sub-committees may have specific training needs such as training for research and analytical skills

Ways of Engagement

• Policy Projects

  • Issues affecting youth now or in the future

  • Opportunity to conduct research and make recommendations that help the community

  • Might include informing, reviewing, or strengthening current policies and designing new policies

• Youth-Generated Events

  • Events, panels or educational and advocacy campaigns facilitated by youth councils can be effective ways to advance policy projects

  • Potential topics of interest for youth:

    • Environmental issues (e.g., water conservation, recycling, climate change)

    • School funding

    • Bullying

    • Access to extracurricular activities/hobbies

    • Youth empowerment

    • Literacy campaigns, which can be implemented as a collaborative project with non-profit organizations

    • Participatory budgeting

• Engagement and Integration with the Local Government

  • Youth council members’ participation in city council meetings, hearings and briefings

  • Elected officials and/or staff participation in youth council meetings

  • Tour city facilities to show students how the local government operates

  • Job shadowing with officials and staff

  • Pay attention to opportunities for informal interactions, such as lunches

  • Provide visibility for the youth council on your website and social media accounts. For example, the city of Sugar Hill posts youth council meeting agendas on the same website as agendas from other municipal departments and commissions.

  • Broadcast interviews conducted by youth on a local radio channel or online:

    • Interviewees may include local government officials and staff as well as representatives of non-profits or businesses

  • Produce and distribute year-end reports, including policy recommendations, to the local government and policy makers

• Networking Opportunities and Skill Development

  • Events

  • Local, statewide or national conferences

  • Parties

  • Workshops focused on leadership, research, goal-setting and public speaking

• Community Service Projects

  • Environmental cleanups

  • Senior center volunteering

  • Drives for food, clothes, school supplies or holiday gifts

  • Volunteering at a food bank or shelter

  • Tutoring or mentoring

• School-Related Activities

  • Youth council publications

  • Career days at local schools (e.g., “Careers in Local Government”)

  • Civic-minded clubs and organizations in local schools

• Fundraising

  • Projects and/or charitable causes that are relevant for youth

• Media Visibility

  • Establish connections with local media outlets

  • Provide opportunities for youth to design and publish social media content which may relate directly to above opportunities, be independent of them, or relate to your youth council’s formal activities

  • Podcasts on issues relevant to youth

  • Audiovisual reports on issues of public importance (such as the 2020 Census or domestic violence)

  • Live broadcasts of youth council meetings, graduation events, or youth council members introducing themselves to the public