GONZALES — Eighteen youth have been selected to serve on the 2023-24 Gonzales Youth Council (GYC), a youth leadership and development program sponsored by the City of Gonzales with support from the Gonzales Unified School District (GUSD).
The GYC is comprised of students from ninth through 12th grades and is chaired by two youth commissioners. Each year the youth commissioners interview all the students who submit applications and select the members for the youth council.
The 2023-24 Gonzales Youth Council includes Youth Commissioners Luke Naegle and Aliyah Castillo; Ambassadors Vianney Martinez-Valdez, Lizbeth De Leon-Santos and Valeria Cardenas-Pacheco; and members Jozelyn Reyes-Vargas, Angela Madrigal, Alejandra Piñon Ruiz, Judith Zarate, Azucena Parra, Jazmin Diaz, Ariana Calderon, Maya Flores, Mirsa Lopez-Valdez, Sofia Navarro, Emily Mendez, Anixia Davila and Jacqueline Gonzales.
“The GYC program was created in 2013 to give a greater voice to youth and to provide a robust structure under which teenagers can actively participate in the community and its institutions,” according to the City of Gonzales in a news release.
Youth commissioners have non-voting seats at the Gonzales City Council and the GUSD Board, and they serve as a liaison between the youth council, city council and school board. They attend city council and school board meetings on behalf of the GYC and make presentations.
“The GYC program provides youth civic engagement opportunities, leadership training and a sustainable/long-term learning environment by connecting youth directly with elected and executive officials throughout the city,” the City stated in the release.
During the year, the GYC provides input into the policies and programs adopted and implemented by the city and the school district. Members review and analyze information, engage in discussions and advocacy, make recommendations pertaining to matters that impact youth and lead a community service action project that contributes to the betterment of the community.
The 2023-24 GYC have chosen addiction/drug use prevention, housing insecurity/tenant rights and infrastructure/community beautification for their service action project.
Past service action projects by the GYC include testifying before the city council on proposals of cannabis cultivation and manufacturing within the city limits; the development of a social host ordinance to restrict teen consumption of alcohol that was ultimately approved by the city council in 2017; and most recently, their service action project focused on mental health resources for youth in the community.
Loved reading this article and seeing these wonderful Gonzales high school students and several of my former scholars participating in the GYC! This is such a worthwhile program for our youth. Am very encouraged and excited to learn more about the projects they will be tackling. Kudos to our leadership in GUSD along with the community of Gonzales to have started this program over a decade ago. It’s another great way to launch our kids by giving them voices and allowing them to be part of the decision making process. I am proud to say, I was privileged to have taught in Gonzales.