AGENDA #4j
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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
Bill Webster, Interim Director of Parks and Recreation |
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SUBJECT: |
Proposal to Establish a Temporary Chapel Hill Youth Council Steering Committee |
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DATE: |
January 22, 2007 |
This report presents recommendations to the Town Council related to starting a Youth Council that would be developed and sustained by the Town. The attached resolution would authorize the Manager to advertise for membership on a Youth Council Steering Committee, use existing staff for initial support of the Steering Committee, and include funding for the establishment of a Youth Council program in the Manager’s budget proposal for FY 2007-08.
At its October 23, 2006 meeting, the Council received a petition from the Chapel Hill – Carrboro chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) requesting that the Town Council start a Youth Council. The local NAACP chapter proposes that the Youth Council be affiliated with the government of the Town of Chapel Hill.
We have subsequently met with the petitioners and discussed various options for possible development of a Youth Council.
Our review of other communities shows that youth councils are usually comprised of young people who are interested in developing leadership skills. Participants usually become involved in community projects, participate in government functions, and represent other youth in determining needs and services. Typically Youth Councils are sponsored by local governments. We believe that creation of a youth council has the potential to give young people the type of leadership training that would benefit both the participants and the community at large.
North Carolina’s Department of Administration has a Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office that provides technical assistance through its State Youth Council office. The State Youth Council coordinates 18 local youth councils in North Carolina, assists with newly organized councils and facilitates a competitive mini-grant program that awards funds to youth councils for community projects.
Establishing a Youth Council in Chapel Hill: We believe that if the Council decides to pursue the creation of a Youth Council, the first step should be to establish a temporary Youth Council Steering Committee. The Committee would be responsible for working with the State Youth Council office, recruiting and selecting youth for the initial Council meeting, and providing the initial organizational framework needed to begin the organization. The attached resolution would authorize the Manager to advertise for applications for a temporary five member Youth Council Steering Committee. We anticipate that the Council could appoint members to the Steering Committee in early March 2007.
Membership on the Initial Youth Council: Eventually a successful Youth Council could determine its own size and mission. However, we agree with the representatives of the NAACP that the initial group should consist of approximately 25 to 30 youth.
We believe a key to success in establishing a Youth Council would be the recruitment of a diverse group of youth from the 9th through 12th grades. Representatives of the NAACP recommend that the group consist of youth in the 8th grade. However, our research and the recommendations of the State Youth Council office suggest that members should be older. Cooperation of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools and other groups that work with youth would be important in the recruitment process and would significantly enhance the probability that a Youth Council could be established with a racially and economically diverse group of young citizens.
Staffing Issues: We believe that a Youth Council would not succeed without adequate adult support. In most cases Youth Councils have paid adult advisors. Both the Police Department and the Parks and Recreation Department lack the staffing necessary for long term support of a Youth Council. Both Departments can provide support in the near term to assist the Steering Committee in the initial setup of the Council and recruitment of its members. We believe that if the program is to succeed we would have to recruit an adult adviser who could provide the oversight that the Town would require and the type of interpersonal connection that is needed to work with young people.
The NAACP representatives we spoke with recommended that the Town hire a full time adult advisor. We believe that such a full time advisor could provide the oversight needed to help run the program and assist the Youth Council with its projects and responsibilities. Alternatively we could follow the model used by some other municipalities and hire an advisor on a contract basis. If the Council wishes to proceed with the establishment of a Youth Council, we will provide the Council with options for managing the proposed program as part of the Manager’s recommended budget for FY 2007-08.
Staff Recommendation: We recommend that the Council adopt the attached Resolution that would authorize the Manager to advertise for membership on a temporary Youth Council Steering Committee, use existing staff for initial support of the Steering Committee, and include funding options for the establishment of a Youth Council program in the Manager’s budget proposal for FY 2007-08.