Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bellevue youth council outlines mission and community activities to City Council
Summary
The Mayor’s Youth Council introduced 12 student members, described its mission to amplify youth voices and listed recent community events and outreach efforts; council members praised the students and asked for a future update on how the council will present recommendations to elected leaders.
The Bellevue City Council on Nov. 18 heard a presentation from the Bellevue Mayor’s Youth Council, a student group founded in 2024 that the students say is “dedicated to amplifying the voices of young people” and advising local leaders on issues affecting youth.
Gabrielle Schuster, identified as the council’s president, told the council the group meets every other week, has elected officers and committees (including communications and social media) and aims to increase youth participation in local government. “The Bellevue Mayor's Youth Council is dedicated to amplifying the voices of the young people by providing meaningful input on issues affecting the youth and city of Bellevue,” Schuster said.
Students listed recent activities and service projects, including participation in Bellevue Earth Days and Bellevue Rocks, hosting an ice cream social at Hillcrest Mabel Rose assisted living, distributing pollinator plants at the farmers market, marching in the Veterans Day parade and staging a trick-or-treating outreach event in October. Timothy Bogutze said the council has returning members and new members from Bellevue East, Bellevue West and other area schools and that the group hopes to bring more community engagement in 2026.
Councilman Preister commended the students’ leadership and asked what formal recommendations the youth council plans to present to the council. He said he looks forward to their report on specific ideas for civic engagement. Students responded that they are still developing a plan and hope to return to the council in early 2026 with more detail.
Mayor Ollie and council members took a photograph with the students at the end of the presentation. No formal action was required or taken on the youth council report.
