The youth policy body for Multnomah County and the City of Portland is seeking members for its 2015-2016 session. The Multnomah Youth Commission (MYC) is a group of 42 young people who help bring the perspective of young people into county and city decisions, discussions, and planning.
Youth commissioners are between the ages of 13-21, serve one-year terms, and either work, go to school, or live within Multnomah County or the City of Portland.
Recent efforts of the Multnomah Youth Commission include working to:
● Not only maintain the YouthPASS, a free bus pass for every high school student in Portland Public Schools, but expand the pass to all high school students in Multnomah County
● Develop youth-led solutions to issues that touch young people in our local school systems alongside community and education leaders
● Decrease chronic absenteeism and youth disengagement from schools
Most notably, youth commissioners have worked hard to encourage young people in the community to tell stories about their personal experience with violence and create policies to make change.
All the work of the Commission is organized around the implementation of “Our Bill of Rights: Children + Youth.” This county/city signed youth bill of rights was the first document of its kind in the United States.
“I can honestly say I have never seen a group so action-driven,” says former youth commissioner Ameneh Yasrebi. “I've seen talk-driven, but never action-driven. The group makes me want to do more. Really! It makes me want to get out into the world, get my hands dirty, and make a difference!"
Andrea Marquez, Youth Development Coordinator and City of Portland staff to the Multnomah Youth Commission, added: “In Portland, one in five residents are under the age of 18. As a community we lose out on a lot if we don’t find ways to include them. For everyone who thinks young people are lazy or not interested in their community, the Youth Commission shatters that stereotype. In my experience young people want to get involved, we just have to ask.”
Applications for the 2015-2016 session of the Multnomah Youth Commission are due Monday, April 27. Click here to apply.