City highlights Youth Empowerment Summit expansion and survey gains

Jesse Salinas briefed the council on the ninth annual Youth Empowerment Summit (YES), a civic-engagement program that began in 2018 and aims to increase young people’s understanding of voting and local government.

Salinas said the summit has grown from a small campus event to a larger program and that last year 141 students participated; the next summit is scheduled for Sept. 24 at UC Davis' ARC Ballroom. He described program elements including a local-government 101 session, roundtable conversations with elected officials, a mock election and an afternoon of engagement that connects students with nonprofits. “We’re gonna shoot for 150 students this time around,” he said.

He presented survey results showing large shifts in students’ self-reported understanding: the percentage who “strongly agree” they understand the voting process rose substantially after the one-day program; similar strong increases were reported for understanding local government, the role of elected officials and students’ confidence in making positive community changes. Salinas also noted that participants from West Sacramento — including River City High and Washington Middle College — made up a sizable portion of attendees and that organizers are exploring ways to bring the program into schools across Yolo County.

Council members praised the program’s data-driven approach and encouraged expansion into schools and further county partnership.