Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson announced the launch of her new Bronx Youth Council advisory body this spring, a program she’s saying is the first of its kind.
The council — which will be made up of ninth through 12th grade students from across the Bronx — is expected to fully mobilize by the fall. Gibson told the Bronx Times in an interview this week that her goal in creating the council is to bring kids together from across the borough to advise her office on an array of issues that matter to youth. Those include topics surrounding education, public safety and youth gun violence, employment and social media, among others, she said.
“We want to be a part of opening these doors for young people,” Gibson said. “I am very adamant about amplifying the voices of our young people.”
She said she’s made an effort to recognize and honor youth at various community celebrations throughout her tenure as borough president, and that the council will be the next step toward creating positive change in the Bronx.
“We should not talk about what affects youth without including youth,” Gibson said. “We should be having young people in those spaces.”
According to an announcement from the Bronx Borough President’s office earlier this month, Gibson met with a group of kids in her first civic engagement summit of the youth council on May 30. A former intern herself, she spoke about wanting to expand career readiness education and opportunities for kids in the Bronx.
The formation of the council is Gibson’s latest push to engage youth in the borough.
Earlier this year, the borough president encouraged youth ages 16 and older to apply to their local community boards to serve in advisory positions and as voices of their neighborhoods.
According to data published by the Borough President’s office, there were three 16- and 17-year-olds, as well as seven people in between the ages of 18-24, serving on community boards in 2021. That’s 10 people aged 16-24 who served on community boards that year out of 427 total board members.
With one teen currently serving, young people encouraged to apply to community boards
Gibson said she doesn’t have a strict capacity limit in mind yet for the new Bronx Youth Council, but that she’s looking for students from each of the borough’s school districts, as well as through the charter and parochial network. Additionally, she said she’s intentionally seeking out marginalized youth, foster youth, youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth.
Teachers and mentors can nominate kids to the Bronx Youth Council by contacting the Bronx Borough President’s office. For more information, visit https://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/youth/.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
