SNOHOMISH — The City Council welcomed five incoming youth council members at its Sept. 1 meeting.
Tenth grader Anna McPherson, eleventh graders Logan Nuttall, Peyton Tennery, Akasha Williams and twelfth grader Eryn Anderson were all nominated by the council and appointed by Mayor John Kartak.
The incoming group joins eleventh graders Dravus Royce, Anjuli Kajla, Ruthie Hammer and twelfth graders Simon Bidne, Kun Kim, Sarah Plate, Colby VerHoeven and Allison Nauman.
High school students attending Snohomish and AIM high schools are encouraged to apply for a youth council position under the direction of advisers Kaci Cowan and Thom Engel. The youth council tries to meet once a month with the council liaisons, as well as attend multiple special events during the year. Liaisons typically help the youth council learn how to do the things they are pushing for, advise them on city government and assist with setting up events.
Newly appointed Council President Linda Redmon and Councilmember Judith Kuleta are the liaisons for the youth council.
Redmon and former Council President Jason Sanders have filled the liaison seats since the youth council was created in 2018.
The youth council not only is being prepared for their futures but they also help the City Council when they can. Not only does the youth council assist to form a broader community opinion, but often helps with addressing community issues.
The youth council helped to spread the social distancing protocols through the younger generation by posting videos to the youth council’s Instagram page describing the guidelines.
They also posted a humorous video they created that describes ways to deal with quarantine, in hopes to raise spirits of those gripped by the depression of lockdown. The video gives lockdown survival tips and fun games to play to combat the boredom.
In addition to a social media presence, the youth council has also put on events including the teen movie night at Pilchuck Park and a talent show at Looking Glass Coffee for children of all ages.
“I think we’re developing active and informed engaged young people and I think it’s terrific so I just want to applaud the city council and the youth council for the work they’re doing and keep it up,” Cowan said in the meeting.
According to Redmon, the youth council has yet to specify what their goals are because the COVID-19 pandemic makes it difficult to hold community events.
“They don’t know if (people are) going to want to have even more zoom events, you know, it’s just not the same,” Redmon said.
However, the youth council is making a big push through social media to get the younger generation to vote.
“Right now what they’re focused on, is what they can currently do that’s in the near future, that they know it can have some beneficial effect and that is trying to make sure that people are eligible to vote and registered to vote (...) then also just reminding their peers, you know, if you are voting age, vote. It doesn’t matter who you vote for, just vote, have your voice heard,” Redmon said.
At its Sept. 1 meeting, the City Council also recognized the outgoing senior members the youth council: Bianca Bahr, Celia Forster, Mikayla Jardine, Riley Yeoman and Grace Flitsch.
Note: This story was updated Sept. 15 to reflect the new grade levels for the youth council members.
