The Garland Youth Council recently hosted the ‘Your Voice – Teen Town Hall’ where teens 13-18 are encouraged to share ideas and get involved.
Keegan Colunga, a Richland Collegiate High School junior and member of the Garland Youth Council, talked about the event and being a part of the council.
He said that the teens separated into small groups to facilitate discussions about pertinent topics including education, teen/police relations, teen health, homelessness and more.
Keegan added that the purpose of the event was to allow Garland’s youth an opportunity to share their opinions.
“The organizers hoped to get our city’s youth engaged and hopefully seek to contribute further by joining the Garland Youth Council to further express their convictions,” he said.
Several of the activities stood out as Keegan’s favorites.
“One of my favorite activities was when Representative Victoria Neave visited. She gave a very compelling speech which inspired all of the attendees,” he said. “I also appreciated our ice breaker, which was a large-scale rock-paper-scissors tournament.”
The 11th-grader enjoys being part of the Garland Youth Council mostly because it’s an engaging extracurricular activity.
“It gets me out of my comfort zone and helps me develop my speaking and leadership skills,” Keegan said.
He is also grateful for the city’s involvement.
Photos provided by Keegan Colunga
“I appreciate what the city of Garland has done with the Garland Youth Council because it is a great way to get youth civically engaged,” Keegan said. “Lots of us like to say that today’s youth are the leaders of tomorrow, and that statement is no more true of anyone than the exemplary young men and women of GYC.”
Garland Youth Council 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.
Youth Garland Youth Council 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.