Soledad Youth Council presents life‑skills survey; seniors receive certificates

Members of the Soledad Youth Council presented a year‑end report and life‑skills survey to the City Council on Wednesday, summarizing input from 135 high‑school students about classes and programs they want.

Senior Angelina Flores, presenting for the youth council, said the survey found the top interests were driver's education, financial literacy and culinary skills, and the council recommended creating a flexible life‑skills curriculum either through the school district or in partnership with the city. Presenters said the survey targeted high‑school students and that most respondents were juniors and a plurality were female.

Council members praised the youth council's outreach and suggested several paths forward: partnering with the school district to reintroduce elective classes, exploring driver‑education partnerships with the California Highway Patrol and Department of Motor Vehicles, and using city facilities and recreation programs for culinary or life‑skills classes. Council members also noted existing city programs such as teen culinary classes and down‑payment assistance the city is developing as complementary resources.

The council presented certificates of recognition to the youth council members who attended and invited them to remain for a photo with council and a transportation agency representative.

The youth council presenters urged collaboration between the city and the school district and recommended next steps such as identifying funding sources and formal partnerships to expand life‑skills programming for students.