Title
Introduction of Ordinance Amending the Alameda Municipal Code by Adding Section 2-14 (Youth Council) to Article II (Boards and Commissions) of Chapter II (Administration), Establishing a Youth Council and Prescribing Membership and Duties of Said Commission. (City Manager 2110) WITHDRAWN - Will Not be Heard
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In October 2020, the City Council provided direction to staff to establish the Alameda Youth Council to promote the City of Alameda's (City) objectives and offer Alameda's youth a role in shaping our community. Staff met with a small founding group of students who support this direction and helped draft foundational by-laws for a Youth Council. This staff report discusses these by-laws that appear as Section 2-14 in the amended Alameda Municipal Code being considered by the City Council.
BACKGROUND
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alameda's youth helped organize the community around critical issues including racial justice and police reform by leading peaceful protests, volunteering their time serving on community-led committees, creating speaker series and other educational events, and meeting with the Mayor and City Councilmembers about City affairs.
At the same time, a group of talented and dedicated young people began advocating for the City to establish a Youth Council that focuses on making Alameda more equitable and inclusive, with a focus on topics such as racial injustice, gun violence, and gender equality. A Youth Council would provide the City Council, Boards and Commissions, and staff with the unique perspective of the community's youth on municipal issues and matters of concern to young people.
On October 20, 2020, the City Council unanimously approved the creation of a Youth Council and directed staff to return to the City Council with an Ordinance amending the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) by adding a Youth Council to the Boards and Commissions cha...
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