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Council hears plan to create a youth commission and task force after outreach to more than 260 young people
Summary
Staff presented a co-designed youth engagement plan recommending a formal youth commission plus a broader youth task force/collective. Outreach reached about 260 youth and 15 partner institutions; staff requested $25,000 to finish the year and proposed $50,000/year for a multi-year pilot.
City staff and consultants presented the results of a five-month co-design process that recommends establishing two complementary youth bodies: a formal youth commission to advise the council and a broader youth task force or collective to convene youth-serving organizations quarterly.
Maurice Baker, community services manager, said the proposal aims to amplify youth voice, increase civic engagement, and build intergenerational leadership. The consultant from the Youth Leadership Institute, Wendy Pacheco, described five governing options considered with youth (youth council, advisory board, task force, commission, and appointing youth to existing boards) and said young participants chose a combined approach: a formal, application-based youth commission with an open, networked youth task force.
Outreach leaders reported engagement with roughly 260 young people across 15 institutions (including KIPP, East Palo Alto Academy, Eastside College Prep and community organizations). Survey results distributed in the co-design process showed 89% of respondents were interested in a city-sponsored youth leadership body and 73% favored paid leadership roles; the most-cited barriers included conflicts between program time and school/work schedules.
Staff said $30,000 of prior council funding was used and requested an additional $25,000 to complete the current fiscal year activities, with a proposed commitment of $50,000 per year for three years during the budget process to sustain the pilot and staffing support. Councilmembers generally praised the outreach and asked staff to return with a midyear budget request and more detail on selection, term limits (recommended two years), and whether the commission would be a Brown Act body. City staff said appointments and Brown Act status would be addressed in the implementation plan.
Multiple youth and community organizations urged approval, and several young people spoke in favor at the meeting. The council received the report and directed staff to return during midyear budget discussions with funding and a plan.
