| Sarasota,
FL: A report will be presented to the ManaSota League of Cities
next week about the Sarasota Youth Advisory Board’s
recent trip to Hollywood, FL to attend the Youth Council Program
of the Florida League of Cities. The report will be given
Thurs., September 9, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Chambers
in City Hall, 1565 First Street.
During the day-long conference, the eleven
members of the Sarasota Youth Advisory Board learned about
local government and civic engagement. They attended seminars
about community involvement, the impact of the cyber age on
communities and the challenges of public leadership. The attendees
included:
• Jessie Boswell - Booker High School
• Briana Calderon – Booker High School
• Katie Cerchio – Sarasota Military Academy
• Gabriel Colucci - Sarasota High School
• Casey Dowling – Cardinal Mooney High School
• Keliy Fordham - Westcoast School for Human Development
• Madison Garriott - Sarasota High School
• Juan Pablo Gonzalez – Cardinal Mooney High School
• Kay’la Riddle – Booker High School
• Angelo White – Westcoast School for Human Development
• William Wutzer - Sarasota Military Academy
Two other teen representatives, Sydney O’Reilly
from Bradenton and Daniel Wood from North Port, also attended
the conference. “I was able to learn the importance
of civil duty within a community and the overall weight that
an individual can have on their community if willing to pay
the price and work hard within city government,” said
Juan Pablo Gonzalez, Youth Advisory Board Member. “Overall,
I was utterly astounded by so much I observed in the conference.”
Members of the Youth Advisory Board are
appointed by the City Commission with the mission of providing
counsel on issues from a teenage perspective. “We have
many active, inquisitive youth in our community,” said
Commissioner Richard Clapp. “The FLC Annual Conference
was an excellent opportunity for these young people to engage
leaders from all around the state. They certainly took advantage
of this opportunity.”
Youth Advisory Board Members attend high
schools throughout the City of Sarasota. They meet monthly
in the City Commission Chambers in City Hall. “The Youth
Advisory Board journey to Hollywood caps a multi-decade process
where former Mayor and retired Sarasota High School history
teacher, Lou Ann Palmer, tried to get our area’s teenagers
engaged and participating in local government,” said
Mayor Kelly Kirschner. “This trip was the fruition of
another piece of former Mayor Palmer’s vision and the
City is greatly appreciative of her decades of commitment
and service to our youth.”
The educational trip was funded by the ManaSota
League of Cities. The League is a consortium of municipalities
from Manatee and Sarasota, which collaborates on issues of
mutual interest.
To learn more about the Youth Advisory Board,
visit www.sarasotagov.com/yab
or contact staff liaison Karen McGowan: 941-954-4149. For
more information about the Florida League of Cities, visit
www.floridaleagueofcities.com
|
