It is hard to believe that it is just about time for backpacks to start coming back out as a new school year is about to begin. In Meridian, each year also brings fresh opportunities for young people to connect with their community and shape the future around them through the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, or MYAC.

MYAC gives high school students an inside look and a voice in their local government, while helping them grow in civics and understanding. Through leadership training, community service, and real conversations about issues that matter to them, these amazing students gather hands-on experience that goes far beyond what they learn in the classroom. Here is a video where parents and students can learn more about MYAC in the words of some of its members.

MYAC members meet regularly at City Hall, work on projects that impact the community, and collaborate with city leaders to better understand how local government can work for them. It’s an opportunity to build skills like public speaking, teamwork, and problem-solving that will serve them in whatever path they choose next. MYAC activities center around three focus areas: leadership development, community service, and government affairs. Just last year, MYAC students had the opportunity to participate in activities that touched on all three focus areas, including:

• Hearing from guest speakers on a range of important topics, like State Controller Brandon D. Woolf, who talked to the students about government transparency;
• Planning and moderating panels on a range of topics students are interested in, including “how to be an effective public speaker.”;
• Holding a “senior” prom for senior citizens at the Meridian Senior Center, complete with catered dinner and prizes;
  More than anything, MYAC is about giving our youth a seat at the table and listening to their ideas, learning from their perspectives, and empowering them to make a difference.

Meridian’s future is bright because of the people who choose to live here and programs like this that help ensure our youth succeed. I hope you will encourage your high schooler to consider joining. You can learn more about the program at the kick-off meeting on August 31st as well as find the regular meeting schedule on the MYAC webpage, where you’ll also find a link to the application to join.

To the students, parents, teachers, and staff, I encourage you to enjoy the last bit of break and wish you all the best in the school year ahead!