GONZALES — The City of Gonzales 2024-25 Gonzales Youth Council (GYC) has been selected, and this year will be led by Youth Commissioners Emily Mendez and Valeria Cardenas.
Members chosen to serve on the youth council include Shelby Anderson, Leo Asher, Isabella Camargo, Lizbeth De Leon-Santos, Cristina Garcia, Vianney Martinez, Marco Mireles, Suiry Palomares, Orlando Rodriguez Perez, Ricardo Rodriguez Perez, Ana Rosales and Denia Rosales.
City of Gonzales has long been involved in youth development and has worked in collaboration with the Gonzales Unified School District to better understand and address the needs of its younger residents.
In 2015, the City raised its commitment to a new level with the creation of the GYC, a unique youth involvement and mentoring program that “seeks to engage youth in the civic life of the city and its schools through projects and direct participation in city government and decision-making,” according to the City in a news release.
The two youth commissioners have non-voting seats on the Gonzales City Council, and all GYC members have access to city officials and department heads who mentor the youth throughout their term. Over the years, the youth have been able to initiate change in the community, including the ability to sponsor city measures, to have input into city decisions and to undertake community projects.
GYC projects have included input into the city’s cannabis strategy, development of an ordinance regulating underage drinking, conducting a mental health survey of Gonzales High School students that resulted in the school adding a second licensed clinical social worker, and the creation of a program to discourage the use of plastic straws to protect the environment.
The crown jewel of the GYC’s work is the Teen Innovation Center, a venue proposed and worked on by the GYC over several years and will be part of the city’s new Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center currently being built.
“The GYC’s integration into the fabric of local government, and the significance of the projects undertaken and completed, distinguishes it as an unusually vital and vibrant community-based youth organization,” stated the City.
Its long-term success has made Gonzales’ program a model for other cities looking to increase youth engagement and involvement, including Soledad, Greenfield and most recently a youth council pilot program was approved by the Salinas City Council.
