CONTRA COSTA
COUNTYWIDE YOUTH COMMISSION
Recommendation to the
Board of Supervisors Regarding
Meeting Times and
Youth Input
The Countywide Youth Commission (CYC) was founded on the
principle of involving youth in government and public policy. Indeed, the
mission statement of the CYC states that the Commission’s purpose is to “…give
the youth of Contra Costa County a voice and the power to change their world…”
In order to further that goal, the CYC believes it is necessary to remove the
barriers that hinder youth involvement in county government. One of the barriers
that has been created is the time at which the Board of Supervisors, its
committees, and its advisory bodies conduct their meetings. The Board, for
example, holds meetings at 9:00 AM on Tuesdays, a time that is not conducive to
youth involvement, or to the involvement of the greater public, as most
individuals must be at work or school. The result is sparsely attended meetings
where only those with a special interest, often businesses with a paid
representative, voice their opinions. Because the current situation hinders
youth involvement in government, the CYC has the following recommendations.
The CYC recommends that:
1. The Board
of Supervisors adopt policy requiring all committees and advisory bodies that
deal with issues directly affecting youth and their families conduct their
meetings between the hours of 6:00 and 10:00 PM.
2. The Board
of Supervisors adopt policy allowing public comment on items before the Board
and its advisory bodies via electronic communications, postal mail and, if
viable, telephone messages.
3. The Board
of Supervisors place an electronic comment form on their website, utilizing a
system similar to the one used by members of Congress.
4. The Board of
Supervisors adopt a policy of actively seeking youth input, through the CYC and
other means, before implementing any major youth-related policy changes.
Adopting these recommendations will help bring youth and
their families into the decision making process and will remove one of the
barriers to youth empowerment. Nighttime meetings will allow students, parents,
and full time workers to attend and voice their opinions about the issues at
hand, as currently occurs with local school board and city council meetings.
This, in turn, will lead to better decisions that have greater community
support, because people will feel as if an effort was being made to include
them. Allowing electronic and postal mail to be used will give a voice to those
who cannot attend meetings, as will telephone messages, if viable. Actively
seeking youth input is another way of encouraging better decision-making with
regards to youth issues. By bringing those who will be directly affected into
the process, the Board will get a new perspective on the issues, one that is
potentially invaluable. Adopting these recommendations will improve the process
and results of government when dealing with youth issues.
