Council Info
Up to 15 members.
9-12 Grade
$2,000
The Smyrna Youth Council is funded by our municipal alliance fund.
The Smyrna Youth Council usually meets twice monthly.
The Smyrna Youth Council meetings in various city buildings, usually depending on whichdepartment they are meeting with that day.
Mission Statement
The Smyrna Youth Council aims to build knowledge of and engage the Smyrna youthcommunity in local government by creating opportunities to advise, advocate, and participatein community service and events to show we, the youth, can and will bring representation andimpactful service to Smyrna, because the youth are our future.
Code of Conduct
The purpose of the Youth Council is to provide a means for the high school youth of Smyrna tolearn about government, participate in the process, and to represent and articulate the needsof the community’s youth. The overall objective is to provide an opportunity for the youth ofSmyrna to:
- Acquire a greater knowledge and appreciation for the political system by educating youth ongovernment structures, operations, and relations through a firsthand look at how the City ofSmyrna operates.
- Identify youth needs in the community, provide a means by which the City’s youth can beheard, and bring awareness of those needs to Smyrna City Council and staff.
- Provide leadership development and experience that will enable youth to become productivecitizens and leaders in the community.
- Connect to the community through planning, sponsoring, and assisting at City andcommunity events.
Selection Process
Smyrna Youth Council applications typically open in August, candidates are selected inSeptember, and members take their oath of office in October.
Do youth council members attend schools in the city or county or both? Are members enrolled in private school or home schooled?
Smyrna Youth Council members either attend school within city limits or live in city limits. All public, private, and home-schooled students are welcome to apply.
City department responsible for overseeing the council
Administration
Does group act as an advisory committee for your City Council and/or County Commission
No.
Does group participate in overnight events?
Our group has not participated in overnight events thus far, but it is something we areplanning on doing in the future.
Words of advice to share with cities considering the establishment of a youth council
Having a Youth Council is a great way for our elected officials to gain insight on their city’syouth, and to give the youth an opportunity to get involved in their local government andhave a voice. Although takes planning, organization, and funding, the Smyrna Youth Councilhas been a great program for our city thus far.
Event Description
At our “Coming Home for the Holidays” city event, the Smyrna Youth Council organized aclothing drive for a local charity. They planned, advertised, and organized the clothing drivewhich resulted in a great turnout of donations. The youth council was able to donate threecarloads full of clothing items to 7 Bridges to Recovery in Atlanta.