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Shelby County Youth Council urges investment in jobs, mental health and homelessness prevention after summit
Summary
Youth council members told commissioners they want county investment in youth employment, mental-health services, homelessness prevention and increased access to health care after a youth summit that drew 250 participants.
Members of the Shelby County Youth Council told the County Commission on March 17 that youth want concrete investments in job readiness, mental-health services, homelessness prevention and accessible health care.
Javion White, who identified himself as the District 9 representative to the Shelby County Youth Council, and Taya Harris, District 6 representative, said the council’s Youth Voice Summit attracted more than 250 young people and 15 elected officials and staff. “Right now, the youth are very much aware of how political decisions significantly impact the future,” White said.
The council presented a set of recommendations compiled from summit participants: expand youth employment and career-readiness programs, increase youth mental-health services, develop youth-homelessness prevention and housing assistance, invest in community safety and violence-prevention efforts, and improve access to affordable health care and youth mental-health services.
Commissioners responded with offers to help connect the council to district connectors and school partners. Commissioner Brittany Thornton and others encouraged the council to survey more students across districts and to follow up with the county’s district connector program so the commission and county staff can channel resources and measure demand.
Commissioner Charles Caswell told the council the body had helped secure a $500,000 partnership (the Youth and Family Resource Center plus Brave Foundation) to expand free counseling services for youth ages 13–18; commissioners urged the council to help publicize available services so students in need can access them.
The council said it plans to continue outreach, collect data and organize follow-up engagement with commissioners to turn the summit recommendations into actionable programs.
