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Aurora Youth Commission reports expanded membership and youth outreach plans
Summary
The Aurora Youth Commission told the council it has grown its membership, represents more area high schools and plans service projects and youth mental-health outreach during 2025; members meet monthly and invite council participation.
The Aurora Youth Commission briefed the Aurora City Council on its 2024 activities and plans for 2025, reporting larger membership, increased school representation and ongoing youth outreach and volunteering programs.
City liaison Dave Wagner introduced the commission’s chair, Sydney Cirque, who said the commission now has 14 youth members and four adult members, with two youth vacancies and two adult vacancies. Cirque said the commission meets the first Thursday of every month, August through May, for two hours at the Central Recreation Center, and that members represent additional schools including Gateway High School and Cherry Creek High School.
Cirque described volunteer and outreach activities undertaken by commissioners in the last year, including spring- and fall-break "We Are A Warrior Youth" events at local rec centers to solicit youth input about mental health and activities, a trunk-or-treat in Northeast Aurora, participation in an adaptive triathlon and the Arise program, and attendance at the Youth Celebrate Diversity conference. She said the commission tries to diversify guest speakers at meetings; one recent speaker was Bill McCartin from the Aurora Elections Commission, who discussed youth voter engagement and registration drives.
The commission also described internal team-building and leadership development: a book club (past reading: The Perks of Being a Wallflower; current reading: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown) and team-bonding activities such as an escape room. Cirque asked city council members and Recreation Board members to attend Youth Commission meetings; council members thanked presenters and offered to help publicize and attend upcoming events.
Council members asked about recruitment and school outreach. Cirque and liaison Wagner said recruitment has improved from the prior year (when the commission had more vacancies) and that school-entry permissions vary by district and building; they said recruitment has relied largely on word-of-mouth and outreach to individual schools. Wagner and Cirque asked for council support for outreach and for member attendance at volunteer events. The commission’s report was received as information only; no formal council action was taken.
