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Teen Council forwards annual report to city council after year of outreach and programs
Summary
The Teen Council presented its 2024–25 annual report outlining volunteer activities, senior tech days, the ambassador program and recommended goals for 2025–26; the Parks Commission approved forwarding the report to the City Council for consideration.
The Parks and Community Services Commission on May 14 received and approved the Teen Council’s 2024–25 annual report and agreed to forward it to the City Council.
Daneshka (Tanishka) Chawla, Teen Council chair, presented a summary of the council’s year: 17 members and two alternates represented local high schools and the council ran five ad hoc committees on wellness, citizenship awards, senior technology, the “wishtree” digital prompts and an ambassador program. Activities this year included senior tech days at the El Cerrito senior center (four sessions), participation in community volunteer events, outreach at school wellness fairs and the selection of an Outstanding Teen Citizenship Award recipient.
Why it matters: the Teen Council is an official advisory body that interfaces with city staff and the Parks Commission to advise on teen programming and engagement. The group provided a set of recommended goals for 2025–26 that emphasize teen wellness, outreach, stronger ambassador ties to middle schools, expansion of senior tech programming and strengthened social media outreach.
Highlights from the report
- Senior Tech Days: four events that paired teen volunteers with seniors on basic device support and online safety. Council members said the program built intergenerational connections and the council plans additional workshop topics in 2025–26.
- Outstanding Teen Citizenship Award: the council reviewed 11 nominations and selected Kenneth Sarap (Dougherty Valley High School) for community work distributing books to underserved neighborhoods.
- Ambassador program: expanded outreach presence across multiple schools and middle‑school engagement; the council recommends closer integration of ambassadors into ad hoc committees next year.
Commission action
Commissioners praised the council’s work and its growing scope. Commissioner Osler and others suggested deeper ties with local foundations and with city departments (suggested guest presentations and site visits) to broaden teens’ exposure to civic operations. The commission moved to approve the Teen Council annual report and forward it to the City Council for consideration; the motion was seconded and approved (motion details: mover/second not specified in the transcript).
Ending
The commission recognized Chair Chawla and graduating Teen Council members. The Teen Council recommended continuing and expanding programming in 2025–26, and staff will forward the annual report to the City Council.
