Youth get a seat at the table

Via Mayor McGinn. Follow link for full story.

Youth get a seat at the table:
This is a guest post from Seattle Youth Commissioner Mohamed Adan
Earlier this month the City Council unanimously adopted a resolution appointing two members of the Seattle Youth Commission (SYC), myself and Kian Vesteinsson, to serve one year terms as advisors to the Families and Education Levy Oversight Committee.  The Levy Oversight Committee [LOC] was established by an ordinance to provide stewardship and advice to dozens of programs supported by the $231 million voter approved levy. The original proposal was for us to become full members, but for legal reasons, we were instead designated advisors. Nevertheless, this is still a tremendous achievement, as it represents the first time youth will have a seat at the LOC in its 20 year history. In our capacity as advisors, we will be present at all the monthly meetings starting immediately, and we will have all the powers and responsibilities of full members except that we will not be able to vote during the rare times the LOC votes on a matter.
Our appointment is the culmination of months of hard work undertaken by the education sub-committee of the SYC, of which both Kian and I are members, to bring the youth voice to the bodies focused on improving public education in the city. We have established relationships with many of the members of the Seattle School Board, with non-profit groups such as SCAN (Seattle College Access Now), and with the Seattle Office for Education to assist them in realizing and addressing the needs and wants of the students they serve. The SYC is uniquely positioned to provide that assistance because we are comprised of a diverse group of youth racially and socio-economically, hailing from nearly every school and every neighborhood in the city. When the Families and Education Levy was up for renewal, the SYC worked hard to see it passed. We testified before the city council and lobbied the council members to place the highest dollar value on the ballot, so that the struggling students in our city would have access to the resources they need to be successful.  During the course of the renewal process, we also petitioned the city council to guarantee a spot for youth in the LOC, and they promised to do so provided the levy was approved by voters in November. I am glad to say the City Council has honored its promise.
Before our appointments, the LOC had many distinguished and knowledgeable adult members, many of whom are experts in the field of education, but they were missing a key component-the voice of the youth they serve. The SYC is honored to bring that voice to the LOC. Kian and I are delighted to begin serving immediately.  The Families and Education Levy does so much good for our communities, especially the struggling students and schools who desperately need all the help they can get. The Youth have the biggest stake in the success of the levy and it high time we finally have a seat at the decision making table.
I want to say thank you to all the people who made this happen. In particular all the members of the Seattle City Council, especially council member Tim Burgess and his intern Michael (who wrote the resolution), and to Sid Sidorowicz from the Office of Public Education. None of this would have been possible without you guys.