Youth Commissioner Raven Warner creates a Christmas painting at Athens High Cotton Arts as part of the Mayor's Youth Commission program.

Mayor Ronnie Marks traveled to a Birmingham last week to tout the benefits of youth commissions with leaders from the Alabama League of Municipalities. Comprised of 460 volunteer municipalities, ALM’s mission is to empower city government through advocacy, training and the advancement of effective local leadership programs.

ALM asked Marks, an executive board member, and Athens communication specialist Holly Hollman to join the mayors of Alabaster and Montevallo to share with city leaders how to implement a youth council during a panel discussion at the Dec. 4 conference.

Founded by Marks in 2012, Athens youth council is comprised of students in the 10th–12th grades from public, private and home schools. Selections for the council are based on an intense application process and by letters of recommendation.

The 27 students who make up this year’s commission are a diverse group with a shared interest in local government. From October through May, the youth council experiences the inner workings of city government firsthand, while participating in community improvement projects.

Marks started the youth commission because he noticed that a lot of younger Athenians didn’t know how city governments worked.

“We kept seeing young people getting caught up in negative politics, so we thought the best thing to do is get them involved, to let them know what we got going on,” Marks said. “Not to lecture them, but to let them experience our local government for themselves.”

Athens High School senior Kourtnee Allen signed on with the youth commission two years ago because she wanted to give back to her community.

“Our youth are watching us help organizations and families in this community, so we’re making a path for them to follow in our footsteps,” she said.

Recently, the youth commission made Christmas cards for the residents of Athens Rehabilitation Center. They also learned how the city’s water system functions by touring the Athens Water Treatment Plant.

“We are looking for ways to engage students more in their community,” Holman said. “It’s important for the next generation of leaders to learn what local government does and how they can be an informed citizen even as a young person.”

Marks said that students who have an understanding of how cities and their councils work will have an advantage as they go into the workforce or pursue higher education.

“We know the students in the council personally,” Hollman explained. “This allows me, the mayor or the police chief to write an informed letter of recommendation to employers and colleges.”

Marks also presented the youth commission concept to the North Alabama Mayor’s Association. He estimated that less than 10 cities in the state have a youth commission in place. However, he said several city leaders have contacted him since the conference, seeking more information about how to start a similar program in their community.