Boston City Council votes to codify Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The council voted to pass an ordinance formally codifying the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement (OYA) to ensure long-term city support for programs serving residents ages 14–25. The vote followed committee testimony about the office’s programs, staffing and plans to expand services for residents 19–25.
The Boston City Council voted on 2025-11-05 to pass an ordinance codifying the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement, commonly known as OYA, to ensure the office’s role and functions are written into the municipal code.
Councilors said the move is intended to preserve services and programs for residents ages 14 through 25 beyond any single administration. "This ordinance was originally sponsored by councilors Henry Santana, John Fitzgerald, and Benjamin Weber," the committee report said, and recommended the matter "ought to pass in a new draft." The report summarized testimony describing OYA’s work coordinating the mayor’s youth council, Youth League of Change, Youth Summit, Youth Line, Boston After Dark and Youth Speaks Boston.
Councilor Henry Santana, the lead sponsor, said the office has been "a pivotal in addressing the needs of our youth" since it was established in 2022 and urged colleagues to support the ordinance. The committee report noted the office employs 11 staff, coordinates a network of more than 1,900 youth-serving professionals, and partners with agencies and community organizations.
During committee testimony and review, members questioned equitable access across neighborhoods and how the office serves older youth. The administration told the committee expanding programming for residents 19 through 25 is a priority, and that external partnerships and grant funding supplement the office’s operating budget.
The council adopted the new-draft ordinance by roll-call vote; the clerk announced the docket received 12 affirmative votes and the measures passed. The ordinance will take effect as specified in the text upon passage and approval by the mayor.
Clarifying details disclosed during the hearing included the office’s current staffing level (11 employees) and the stated coordination role with roughly 1,900 youth-serving professionals; the committee also filed amendments primarily updating the office’s powers and duties.
The ordinance codifies an office that the administration said was created to unify and expand youth engagement and to provide continuity of programming and leadership development across the city.