Giving the youth a voice in government

Council votes to create youth advisory commission

February 18, 2009 - 3:54 PM

By ABBY SEWELL, staff writer

BARSTOW • The city of Barstow is looking for a few good teens. Mayor Joe Gomez ran his campaign partially based on promises that he would focus on Barstow’s youth. The Barstow City Council took a step in that direction at Tuesday’s meeting, where they voted unanimously to create a 13-member commission comprised of local teens that will advise the Council on youth-related issues. Gomez said he hopes to see the youth commission meet at least once a month and send their chairperson to give a report to the City Council every three months, although he said he would like to see the youth commission members attend Council meetings more often. Gomez and Councilwoman Julie Hackbarth-McIntyre, mayor pro-tem of the Council, would attend the youth council’s meetings. The Council would ask the youth to give input on certain issues, but youth could also bring their own concerns and ideas to the Council, Gomez said. “I want to listen to what they would like,” he said. “We always talk about what we would like the kids to do, but I would like to focus on what the kids want for the community.” The youth council would have its own Web page on the city’s site where members could post meeting minutes, upcoming events and other information, Gomez said. Barstow High School students leaving school Wednesday afternoon had not heard of the idea and some said they were not sure what impact it would have. Others, like sophomores Suzanne Obando, 16, and Madison Porter, 14, said they liked the concept. “There’s some grown-ups that may address issues from what the youth want, but most of them look at what grown-ups want,” Obando said. Stephanie Saiz, 15, said the city government pays attention to youth concerns “kind of, not that much,” as leaders focus on other issues like the economy. The students listed teen pregnancy and drug use at school as some of their concerns, along with the economic issues facing education and standardized tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Although some of those issues are in the hands of the state or federal government and not the city of Barstow, Obando said, “They have more ability than us (to have an effect).” The youth council will be composed of 11 high school students — two selected from the applicant pool by each Council member and one by the city clerk — and one representative each from the student governments of Barstow Junior High School and Barstow Community College. Initially, Gomez had proposed to limit eligibility to Barstow residents between the ages of 14 and 18, but after comments by Hinkley resident Norm Diaz at Tuesday’s meeting, the Council agreed to broaden the standards to include any youth at the high school level in the Barstow Unified or Silver Valley Unified School Districts, as well as home-schoolers. Councilman Tim Saenz also suggested the addition of the junior high and community college representatives to broaden the pool of voices. “We need to start being proactive with the junior high kids and show them this stuff now, not wait until they’re in high school,” he said Wednesday. For BCC students, involvement in the council could help them move on to their next step in life, whether to four-year college or the work force, he said. Gomez said that, to his knowledge, the new youth commission will be the first entity of its kind in Barstow. According to the Institute for Local Government's Collaborative Governance Initiative, there are more than 100 youth commissions at work in California, including in the cities of Riverside, Yucca Valley and Palm Desert. The City Council will vote on a resolution formalizing the details of the youth commission at a future meeting, but the city will begin taking applicants immediately.Contact the writer:(760) 256-4123 or asewell@desertdispatch.com There are 11 slots open on the Barstow Youth Council for high school students, including homeschoolers, in the Barstow Unified and Silver Valley Unified School District. Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.5 to be eligible and must have a letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, employer, minister or family friend. Applications are due by the end of March and are available at City Hall, 220 E. Mountain View St. Call 760-256-3531 for more information.