We, the YOUTH of San Jose, changed the Law (Municipal Code) to expand the voice of the Youth Commission and enhance youth participation in the City of San Jose. Our goal was to build a Youth Commission that is inclusive and uplifts the lived experiences of young people in the City of San Jose who are most vulnerable, have been underserved in the past, and are often the hardest to reach. With the changes to the law outlined below in the recommendations (Figure 1), the Youth Commission is now able to expand our platform and reach!
The changes to the municipal code in San Jose were aided by the Santa Clara County Bill of Rights for Children and Young Adults, which the city council adopted thanks to the hard work of the Youth Liberation Movement, the Library’s Educational Digital Literacy staff, and the advocacy from our lovely commissioners!
Recommendation 1: DIVERSITY
In order to open the door to include more youth and young adults who can be strong advocates and be more representative of the diversity of the City of San Jose, the Youth Commission recommended adding a statement to be more inclusive.
In 2022, we created a memo to identify which additional City of San Jose Commissions would benefit from including youth-dedicated positions and to create a procedure for selecting youth members to the commissions. The Youth Commission’s findings were reported to the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee (NSE) by the spring of 2023.
To conduct analysis and develop recommendations, the Library staff centered feedback from an ad-hoc committee of Youth Commissioners and past members. This committee examined the City Council’s direction to provide concrete suggestions and refine the recommended responses. The Youth Commission played an integral role in providing insights from lived experiences, crafting ideas, researching other peer organizations, and reflecting the input of a broader group of youth through the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). A clause was added to ensure the commission consisted of individuals with a variety of lived experiences representing the diversity of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, and economic status of the people of the City of San José.
Recommendation 2: COMPENSATION
We believed that Youth Commissioners should receive paid compensation for their service, a mechanism that would help include more economically diverse voices on the Commission. Incentivizing the Youth Commission’s work and events would increase their engagement and participation. As a result, while on commission-specific duties, the youth commissioners now receive $200 per indicated event!
Recommendation 3: EXPANSION OF DUTIES
We believe the youth in the City of San José should have a seat at the table during city decision-making processes to participate in shared decisions with adults for all legislative policies, needs, assessments, priorities, programs, and budgets concerning the children and youth of San Jose. As a result, we proposed that matters that concern youth should be brought to the Youth Commission for comment and recommendation at least ten (10) days prior to being presented to the City Council. Closing the gap in programs and initiatives to allow youth to provide input in local government by creating a direct line of communication between the City Council and Mayor affirms the Youth Commission’s civic contribution, as well as, informs us of how local laws impact San Jose’s young people.
The passage of this law involved advocating and working with the Library’s Educational Digital Literacy staff, Neighborhood Services and Education Committee (NSE), Mayor, and City Council members. Nearly a year’s worth of work was made real: a mandate to be more inclusive, get paid for their time and commitment, and elevate youth’s seat at the table. To review the work we put in and the change we were able to drive, please refer to the Memorandum.
On behalf of the San Jose Youth Commissioners, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to our mentors, Ms. Megan Maloy and Ms. Lizzie Nolan, for their constant guidance and motivation.
Additionally, to learn more, You can find the full report of the Bill of Rights for Children and Young Adults here.
Follow us on Instagram #sjyouthcommission for more stories and changes we’re driving in the community.
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