The Garland Youth Council is currently inviting teens that will be in grades 9-12 during the 2017-18 school year to apply to serve on the council AND to participate in The Drive Alive Dash.
The organization’s mission and purpose, as described on its website, are below:
Mission
The mission of the City’s Youth Council is to provide a forum which educates Garland’s youth to the various workings of City business, and allows youth to be a voice to address their particular ideas and concerns.
Purpose
To serve as a vehicle to make sure the City Council is aware of needs and wants of Garland youth throughout the City.
To promote and educate participants to the local political process
To assist the Mayor and Council in scheduling meetings which address youth concerns
To assure youth adherence to the criteria for membership in the Youth Council
To serve as ambassadors and messengers for the City of Garland
GYC is made up of 20 members that are appointed by the current Youth Council chair, the mayor and city council members. Members, who must reside in Garland, will serve a one-year term and the group elects its own chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and historian.
The group participates in the city’s ‘Trash Bash’ event and hosts an annual town hall meeting where youth are encouraged to voice their ideas and become involved in the community.
Additionally, for more than 10 years, GYC has promoted ‘Teens in the Driver’s Seat,” a group whose purpose is to educate youth on the risks they face as drivers and passengers.
To that end, The Drive Alive Dash is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 22, in the Downtown Garland Square.
The 5K begins and ends in downtown Garland. Teens and their families are invited to participate. Online registration is $15. Participants who register by April 1 are guaranteed a T-shirt.
Stay after the run to learn more about safe driving for teens. Learn about the top five behaviors that put teen drivers and their passengers at a higher risk for being injured or killed in a car crash. Parents and teens also can take a pledge not to text and drive.
Apply for Garland Youth Council
Applicants should submit a completed GYC application and two letters of reference to Beth Dattomo, 200 N. Fifth St., by June 1. Learn more at GarlandYouthCouncil.org.