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County students showcase mental‑health, arts and environmental projects to the board
Summary
Student groups in the Youth‑Led Leadership Alliance presented projects including mental‑health workshops, a student film on arts education, a 160‑page poetry anthology, and a countywide waste‑audit called the 'Trash Pack' with recommendations for schools.
Students in the county’s Youth‑Led Leadership Alliance presented a series of short reports to the Santa Cruz County Board of Education, describing projects on mental health, arts education, poetry and environmental action.
Jovanisanos youth described mental‑health programming and peer support efforts, noting one event drew more than 200 community participants and a youth mental‑health conference hosted 80 students who completed Teen Mental Health First Aid certification. Student artists previewed a short documentary, "Creative Impact," developed with local teaching artists to highlight arts education. Rising Voices, a new youth poetry collective, produced a 160‑page anthology representing more than 80 student poets and read excerpts to the board.
Youth for Environmental Action presented the 'Trash Pack' — baseline waste audits at seven high schools and one middle school, followed by continuing monitoring, planting parties and an environmental summit that drew about 250 attendees. Students said the audits repeatedly find food waste mis‑sorting and gaps in tri‑stream (trash/recycling/compost) systems; they asked administration for more promotion and logistical support to expand audits and native‑plant projects.
Board members praised the students’ work and asked questions about scaling and distribution; trustees offered to help with outreach and printing for student zines and resources where requested.
