Miami Lakes youth group seeks members, helps organize Halloween event and Nov. 2 parade

Miami Lakes students and a town staff liaison met in a brief youth advisory session to review community volunteer opportunities, encourage students to apply for open advisory-board seats and set a schedule for future youth advisory meetings.

The meeting focused on three immediate items: recruiting students to fill seven vacancies on the Youth Advisory Board, collecting candy and volunteers for the Nightmare on Montrose Halloween event at Veterans Park on Oct. 25, and organizing student participation in the town parade set for 10 a.m. on Nov. 2. The gathering lasted roughly 20 minutes and included introductions from middle- and high-school students representing several Miami Lakes schools.

"For membership, [the] youth advisory board will consist of seven members who will serve a one-year term," the staff member who identified themself as the liaison said. The liaison summarized eligibility requirements listed on the town website: members must be Miami Lakes residents, have an unweighted GPA of at least 2.5 and the board’s composition was intended to include representatives from each of the listed schools. The liaison said there are currently seven vacancies and that schools may select and submit representatives to the town.

Students were asked to collect candy donations for the Nightmare on Montrose Halloween event, scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Veterans Park, and to coordinate drop-off with town staff. The liaison explained that registrations for volunteers were already closed but suggested student groups and clubs could organize candy drives and drop donations off at Veterans Park; students were told to contact a town staff member on site (identified in the meeting as Ernie Soto) for drop-off coordination.

The liaison also invited schools to enter cheerleaders, dancers or other student groups in the Nov. 2 parade, which will proceed toward Town Hall and begin at 10 a.m. Students said their schools plan to arrange participation via clubs and councils.

Meeting participants discussed meeting cadence for the youth advisory group; the students and liaison tentatively agreed on meeting three times a year (roughly at the start of the school year, after the winter break and at year-end), with a suggested January meeting to bring forward initiatives and a May wrap-up.

No motions, votes or formal appointments were recorded in the transcript. The liaison said the town would share application information and follow up by email or group chat to collect candidate applications and contact details. Students provided contact information and a sign-in sheet was circulated.

Background: The liaison said the Youth Advisory Board’s membership and selection process are described on the town’s Talent Analytics calendar and events page. The board’s design, as read in the meeting, calls for one student representative from each of the enumerated schools to ensure parity; the liaison said no applications had been received as of the meeting.

Next steps identified in the meeting: the town staff liaison will forward the application and QR-code information to student contacts; students will solicit candidates at their schools and collect candy donations for the Halloween event before Oct. 25; schools that want to participate in the Nov. 2 parade will notify the liaison or the parade organizers. The transcript shows coordination and outreach rather than formal decisions or board action.

Participants and organizers asked that interested students email or text the liaison to confirm applications and logistical details; the liaison offered to coordinate drop-off times for donations and will provide contact details by follow-up message.