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Mayor administers oath to student appointees to Middletown Youth Advisory Service Board
Summary
The Common Council confirmed and the presiding official swore in four student members of the Youth Advisory Service Board, part of a post‑COVID effort to rebuild youth engagement; Youth Services Director Justin Carbonella described the program’s goals and the council voted to confirm the nominations.
The presiding official opened the meeting’s appointments segment and introduced Justin Carbonella, director of Youth Services, who outlined the city’s efforts to restore youth engagement after the pandemic and described the youth advisory program’s role in elevating young people’s voices in city operations.
Carbonella said the program grew from a local ordinance and years of youth development work and described a post‑COVID plan to engage teens on issues ranging from mental health to civic participation. "We have worked really hard post COVID to kind of build back youth engagement," Carbonella said.
Council members moved to confirm student nominations to the Youth Advisory Service Board. The council confirmed the appointments and the presiding official administered the oath to the confirmed student appointees, including Dwayne Lucian Yope, Janari Garcia Mendez, Devon Lisonbee and Leah McMullen. The council recorded the confirmations by voice vote and members congratulated the students.
The mayor’s remarks emphasized the city’s plan to continue youth participation at upcoming events and on advisory work; Carbonella thanked Marco David for liaison work in schools and noted several students who would also be sworn at a separate ceremony at Green Street School. The council did not take further formal action beyond the confirmations at the Jan. 5 meeting.
The appointments will add student perspectives to the Youth Advisory Service Board as the department moves from pandemic recovery into longer‑term programming and planning.
