Youth Council

Awareness & Understanding

Most decisions that shape your daily life — your school budget, your neighborhood park, your city's air quality rules — get made by elected officials in meetings that are open to the public. Youth government programs exist specifically to give you a seat at that table before you can vote. Start by watching the Salt Lake City Council's public meeting recordings on the SLC Council YouTube channel — pick one meeting and watch at least 20 minutes. Then look up the Salt Lake City Youth & Family programs at slc.gov and search "Utah Youth Council" to find programs near you. You're ready for the next step when you can describe how your city council or school board makes decisions and name at least one youth government program that operates in or near Salt Lake City.

Research & Investigation

Research how youth councils actually work. Look up the National League of Cities' Youth in Governance resources at nlc.org and read the Utah State Legislature's page on student civic engagement at le.utah.gov. Find out: How are members chosen? What real power do they have? What issues have youth councils in Utah tackled — things like school safety, mental health funding, or transportation? Interview one adult who works in local government or a school board member about what they wish young people understood about civic processes. You're ready for the next step when you can explain how youth councils are structured, how members are selected, and describe one real issue a Utah youth council has worked on.

Planning & Preparation

Pick one local issue that you genuinely care about — something affecting youth in your school, neighborhood, or city — and prepare to bring it to a real government or advisory body. Research the issue using publicly available data: crime stats from slcpd.com, air quality data from Utah DAQ at airquality.utah.gov, or school data from the Utah State Board of Education at schools.utah.gov. Write a one-page brief that states the problem clearly, backs it with at least two data points, and proposes one specific, realistic solution. Practice reading it aloud so you can deliver it in two minutes or less. You're ready for the next step when you have a written, data-backed issue brief and can deliver your key points clearly in under two minutes.

Taking Action

Show up and speak. Attend a real public meeting — a Salt Lake City Council session, a school board meeting, a city planning commission, or a community council meeting. Sign up for public comment (most meetings allow anyone to speak for two minutes). Deliver your issue brief. If speaking publicly feels too big right now, submit written public comment through your city's online portal at slc.gov or attend and observe while you build toward speaking at a future meeting. Either way, document the experience in writing the same day it happens. You're ready for the next step when you have attended at least one real public government meeting and either spoken during public comment or submitted written comment on your chosen issue.

Leadership & Expansion

Level up from participant to organizer. Recruit two to five peers who care about your issue and form a small advocacy team. Together, research whether your school or city has a youth advisory board and apply for a seat — or draft a proposal to create one if none exists. Write a petition, create a simple one-page fact sheet, or organize a small community listening session where you gather peer perspectives. Present your team's findings and proposals to an adult decision-maker: a principal, a city council member's aide, or a community council chair. You're ready for the next step when your team has presented your issue and proposed solution to at least one adult in a decision-making role and received a documented response.

Impact & Reflection

Spend time looking back at your eight weeks in civic life. Write a two-page reflection answering: What did you learn about how decisions actually get made in SLC? What was more complicated than you expected? Did anything change because of your participation — even something small? What is one thing you would do differently? Then look forward: identify the next step your advocacy effort could realistically take over the next six months. Share your reflection with your school, post it to a civic engagement platform like Generation Citizen, or send it directly to the official you engaged with. You're ready for the next step when you can clearly articulate what civic impact you had, what you learned about local government, and what your next advocacy move will be.