Today marks the opening of the application period for the Kansas City Youth Commission. Up to 20 appointees may comprise the Youth Commission, with up to 15 members representing local youth who are high school juniors or seniors in school districts within the City or college undergraduates at higher education institutions in the City. Up to five members may also be representatives or members of youth-serving organizations. All members of the Youth Commission must be residents of the City of Kansas City, Missouri.
The Commission will provide the City’s policymakers with input that reflects the local youth perspective and will be appointed by the Mayor. The group will represent Kansas City’s youth in public hearings and will serve in an advisory capacity on issues, not only related to youth, but also on issues that affect our community as a whole.
“Today’s youth will become tomorrow’s community leaders and we need to build our City with them involved in our decision making,” said Mayor Sly James. “The Youth Commission is a natural entity through which our young people can express their opinions and ideas. I’m looking forward to meeting our Youth Commissioners in April.”
The idea of codifying a permanent Youth Commission was first proposed by the Mayor’s Commission on Violent Crime and was included as a recommendation in their final report. The role of the Youth Commission was clarified through a series of meetings with stakeholders regarding the issue of a year-around curfew.
Interested individuals can apply at kcmayor.org/youthcommission beginning today, through March 31st at 5 pm. The Youth Commission members will be announced in April.
