Houston Mayor's Youth Council holds inaugural meeting; officers and committees set

The Houston Mayor's Youth Council held its inaugural meeting, where members introduced themselves, voted by secret ballot for officer positions and established four standing committees to guide the council's work this year.

The meeting opened with roll call and short introductions from dozens of student representatives from Houston-area high schools. Ms. Jackson, the meeting facilitator, ran attendance and confirmed quorum before explaining the secret-ballot process for electing the chair, vice chair and other officers.

Deontay McClendon, the council adviser, told members the council is “a great platform” for youth voice and urged them to use it to identify and amplify mental health resources. “One of our main priorities is to identify and amplify mental health resources for our youth,” McClendon said, noting past collaborations with local partners and events such as NAMI Walks.

Several candidates spoke about priorities while seeking leadership posts. Bridal, a returning member and former civic engagement chair, said if elected she would “make the NYC even more connected to the broader Houston community,” revive events such as youth trivia nights and work with city leaders and the Youth Police Advisory Council. Iman Syed, a junior at Alief Early College High School, emphasized voter engagement work and told the council she has experience raising funds and organizing civic workshops; she said, “I've already raised $9,000 for this year,” describing past events that drew roughly 200 participants.

Committee structure and aims took up much of the meeting. The council established four committees:

- Mental Health Committee: to locate and publicize youth mental-health supports and run awareness programs. Candidates for committee leadership emphasized destigmatizing mental-health conversations and creating school- or community-based programs.

- Voter Engagement Committee: focused on registering young voters and civic education; candidates highlighted experience running registration drives and community events.

- Environmental Justice Committee: candidates framed its work broadly, from disaster response and reliable power to awareness about pollution and clean-energy solutions.

- Education Equity Committee: proposed and seconded during the meeting, the council voted to rename the planned Education Committee to the Education Equity Committee, a motion that passed on a voice vote (tally not specified). Members said the renamed committee will examine curriculum, resource allocation and outreach to underserved students.

Facilitators read back provisional officer and leadership results and committee sign-ups. Ms. Jackson read names for some officer roles and committee chairs (historian listed as James Gonzalez; a secretary name was read as Toffer McCourt). The council scheduled committee-level votes for chair and secretary to be decided by committee members when needed and instructed members to return their secret ballots by email or in person.

City officials also addressed the council. Director Sims of the Department of Neighborhoods joined online to welcome the new term and encouraged students to leverage the council to influence city policy and build leadership skills.

Before adjourning, leaders announced near-term events and logistics: the council was invited to a Trunk-or-Treat at the Eastside Police Station on Oct. 25, and the inauguration was moved tentatively to Oct. 24 to accommodate families and city representatives; members were told to watch for Slack and email communications for final details. The meeting concluded with a recess to collect ballots and arrangements to finalize committee leadership.

The council adjourned after facilitators confirmed next steps for chair elections within committees and upcoming outreach opportunities.