Youth Council Task Force finalizes summer projects — lending libraries, voter-safety outreach and youth-led festival

At a regular meeting the Youth Council Task Force approved last meeting’s minutes and finalized the slides and speaker assignments for a joint presentation to the City Commission, the council’s chair said.

The move to adopt the minutes passed on a roll-call vote after a member moved to adopt and the chair seconded. Chair Piper Laymon then led members in a line-by-line review of a multi-project presentation the group will deliver to the commission.

The council’s core projects for the upcoming season include a set of small lending libraries, a youth-led festival to showcase student entrepreneurs, expanded voter-safety outreach and participation in a boater-safety proclamation. Members agreed that photos from recent activities should be inserted in the slide deck before the presentation.

On the lending libraries, members said the program will place small, outdoor libraries in youth-focused locations and rely on city staff help for construction. "We met with maintenance operator director David Ray to discuss lending libraries, and the city employees have offered to assist in constructing three of these libraries," a member said. A staff member who counted the current stock said, "I did an exact count, and it's 21 books," and council members confirmed the books are targeted at teen and youth readers. The locations discussed were Riverside Park, 207th Avenue Park and the NSP Sports Complex; members said the lending libraries were decorated with children on May 21 and photos will be added to the slides.

The council also reviewed participation in the community’s boater-safety proclamation. Members said they attended the proclamation with the mayor and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and that the Auxiliary provided a newly funded life vest the group presented on May 17. The group discussed using that appearance to promote summer voter-safety awareness and said it plans to pursue an awareness meeting at New Smyrna Beach High School in future years.

On the youth-led festival, council members framed the event as a chance to showcase student entrepreneurs and give young business owners community exposure and practical experience. Members discussed logistics — shared tents rather than one child per tent, coordinating with schools, and offering service hours to increase student participation. Members mentioned recruiting New Smyrna Beach High School clubs (for example, NHS) to help provide volunteer hours.

Members also discussed public-art work tied to the Canal Street art district, noting meetings with several local artists about shark statues; the group agreed such art contributes to the district’s attractions and said the project will bring roughly 10 shark statues to the community.

Chair Laymon assigned speaking roles for the City Commission presentation so each member will present one slide. Chair Laymon said she will introduce the task force and read its mission statement; other members will cover projects, with Abby McCarthy (vice chair) preparing closing remarks. Members agreed to finalize slide edits (formatting, partner acknowledgments) and to insert the agreed photos before the joint presentation.

The only formal action taken during the meeting was the adoption of the minutes from the prior regular meeting. With no further business, Chair Laymon adjourned the meeting at 4:26 p.m.

Sources: Meeting transcript of the Youth Council Task Force.