Councilwoman Everhart urged the Committee on Legislation on July 1 to create a Juneteenth Next Gen Legacy Lab and Special Events Advisory Board to provide age-appropriate activities for young people at the Juneteenth Festival and other city events.

Everhart said the lab is meant to give young people constructive options during festivals and throughout the year, and to bring youth organizations and young people “to the same table.” She told the committee, “Every year, we have an issue in our city where young people participate in violent activities instead of productive activities at the Juneteenth Festival. And instead of just sitting around and saying the kids are fighting, now we are gonna do something about it.”

Council Member Nalski, Council Member Wyatt and other members voiced support for the proposal as a template for other summer festivals and as a way to ensure youth have programming that reflects current interests. Council Member Wyatt said the effort must be deliberate: “You have to do things on purpose.” Several members offered to work with Everhart on the advisory board and to mentor or help recruit partners.

Committee action: a motion was made to open discussion and then to adopt the proposal; the final motion to adopt was seconded by Council Member Rivera. The committee proceeded to remove several items from the table afterward and continued the agenda.

The advisory board would be tasked with coordinating with youth organizations, involving young people directly in planning, and advising event hosts on activities appropriate for different age groups. Everhart emphasized that the board is intended to support families and to understand root causes of youth conflict by engaging youth and families earlier than the week of an event.

The committee record does not include a roll-call vote in the transcript. The committee moved to adopt the proposal and then continued with other business.

The lab is intended as a city-level advisory body to inform event organizers on youth programming for Juneteenth and other festivals; specific membership, budget, and implementation steps were not specified in the committee discussion and will require follow-up with the council office.