Youth City Council

Overview

Youth City CouncilOur SSL Youth City Council is a City-sponsored program that works to foster civic engagement among youth and empower them to be involved in their local community and government by providing opportunities to be a voice of their peers to elected officials at the local, county, state, and even national levels, as well as promoting leadership development through service learning projects and life and job skills preparation.

Civic engagement is the root of our Youth City Council program because getting youth invested and involved in their community helps build a strong foundation for South Salt Lake's future while teaching our youth valuable leadership skills. Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.

We encourage highly qualified junior high and high school youth who live in or have a tie to South Salt Lake to apply for the South Salt Lake Youth City Council.

What We Do

The Youth City Council meets twice monthly during the school calendar year; once for a regular meeting and once for city events and service projects. During the regular meeting, members discuss current events, learn about legislative debate, participate in focus groups, and plan projects and service opportunities. During the second monthly meeting, members participate in an event or service project, attend conferences or may participate in activities like focus groups or team building. In addition, members of the Youth City Council are encouraged to attend one city council meeting each quarter.

Examples of projects, events, and activities include:

  • Night Out Against Crime and Emergency Preparedness Fair
  • Halloween Spooktacular
  • PAL Thanksgiving Service Project
  • Sharing Tree gift shopping
  • Sub for Santa gift distribution
  • Breakfast with Santa
  • Youth Day on the Hill
  • Multicultural Youth Leadership Day
  • World Refugee Day
  • Freedom Fest
  • SLCo Teen Health Summit
  • Other City and Recreation Department Programs
  • Police Department Service Projects
  • Volunteering at Promise SSL afterschool programs
  • Volunteering at the Columbus Senior Center
  • Utah Association of Youth Councils - Youth Council Leadership Conference
  • Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Conference in Washington D.C.
  • And more!

Why Should You Join?

  • Make a difference in your community
  • Make new friends and contacts
  • Build a positive sense of agency and empowerment
  • Prepare for leadership roles
  • Learn valuable life and career skills
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