Shelby County Youth Council asks commissioners for support after youth summit; seeks advisor funding and district outreach

Representatives of the Shelby County Youth Council presented an annual update to commissioners on July 23, outlining recommendations from the 2024-25 Youth Voice Summit and asking for continued county support, help recruiting student members and funding to rebuild adult staffing lost when AmeriCorps funding ended.

Reggie Eskridge, the council's youth engagement coordinator with Bridges, said the council had convened more than 250 youth and 15 elected or civic leaders at the summit to discuss four priority areas: mental health, public safety/violence prevention, education and youth engagement. "The Shelby County Youth Council exists to build a stronger connection between youth and their local government through equitable intergenerational partnership," Eskridge said.

The council passed recommendations that included normalizing "reset rooms" for students (quiet spaces for de-escalation), more school social workers and counselors, restorative-justice training for educators, expanded after-school programming and county-funded youth internships. Council members said they plan a deep-canvassing outreach campaign in the fall in which each of about 26 council members will hold one-on-one conversations with roughly 10 youth per month to collect detailed feedback.

Students and adult advisors also asked the commission to help identify district-level student participants and to consider a small funding request to support a paid youth advisor (about 10 hours per week) to replace a recent shortfall after Bridges lost AmeriCorps funding. "Please continue investing in the Shelby County Youth Council so we can implement our campaign and expand impact," Eskridge said. Several commissioners encouraged the council to submit a consolidated written request of its priorities and budget figures so the commission can consider a resolution and possible funding during the next budget cycle.

Commissioners asked for a one-page packet of the council's recommendations and metrics, and Commissioner Ford invited the council to send the full set of requests to all commissioners. Commissioner Wright asked for more detail about specific mental-health drivers youth reported; council members cited suicidal ideation, home environments, school stress and lack of on-site supports as common themes. Commissioners suggested the youth and council work with the county health department and the youth and family resource center to align outreach and data collection.

The council said it intends to revise its meeting day to increase participation and to coordinate closely with district connectors and county staff to bring youth testimony directly to commission meetings.