Overland Park Teen Council wraps 12th year with service projects, learning sessions and national conference trip

Teen Council leaders presented a year-end report to the committee, summarizing service projects, learning sessions and outreach activities during the council’s 12th year.

"I'm Akhil. I'm the vice president of Teen Council this year," said Akhil Reddy, who delivered the recap in the absence of the president and service chair. Reddy said the program had 58 students, including 30 first-year members and 27 returning members representing 14 high schools across the Overland Park area.

Reddy described major service projects that included a community tree giveaway and the Arboretum Luminary event, noting 43 and 45 Teen Council volunteers respectively. Members also joined invasive species removal, recycling events, a joint project at Ronald McDonald House and a Parks & Rec learning session at Deanna Rose. The group held a planning-and-development learning session that included attendance at a Planning Commission meeting and debate on a local apartment project.

Officers attended the National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C., where they participated in a youth-council hackathon and met with city council members from other cities. "One of the things was increasing youth engagement in city council and getting more teen councils to grow themselves," Reddy said.

The Teen Council also marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, hosted a mock city-council meeting where students approved a consent agenda and created mock proposals, and debated a range of ideas designed to spur discussion. Staff and committee members praised the program’s growth and recommended continued staff support.

Committee members thanked the students and staff and wished graduating members well. The committee encouraged continued engagement with city boards and commissions and noted the Teen Council’s role in pipeline development for future civic participation.