Last week was a very special gathering of five student leaders who have been accepted as members of the new City of Colton Youth Council. The members of the Youth Council are Genesis Rodela Uriarte, Sienna Fernandez, Elizabeth Hernandez, Sebastian Tabares, and Kaeley Diaz. All of the students are seniors at Colton High School and have demonstrated leadership skills in their various programs and have a record of academic excellence.
The purpose of the Youth Council is to train outstanding students who have demonstrated great potential for becoming future community leaders, and to teach them about leadership, Colton History, and civic service. “This is a wonderful opportunity for these students,” exclaimed Brenda Uriarte, mother of Genesis who also attended the meeting, which is open to the public.
Created in 2016, the Youth Council was the brainchild of Dr.G, who was a high school teacher at Colton High for many years, and is now retired. After four very successful years of the original program, the doors to that program closed down due to the pandemic. The meeting last week marked a new beginning for the Youth Council, and according to one of the students, Sebastian, “We’re off to a good start.”
The September 4 meeting was very successful. Genesis served as Chair and managed the agenda beautifully. Genesis was appointed Chair on account of her current position as Youth Commissioner on the Colton Parks and Recreation Commission. The agenda included; Welcome, Pledge of Allegiance, Report on the Parks & Recreation Commission, Schedule of Guest Speakers, Guest Speaker presentation with DrG “Youth Leadership,” History of Colton, Leadership/Volunteer Opportunities, review of Colton Publications and then adjournment. Future meetings will feature a variety of guest speakers including the City Manager, Police Chief, and Community Services Director among others. The students will receive expert instruction and have the opportunity to meet in-person several community leaders and civic service professionals.
Looking forward, the Youth Council plans on meeting once a month, on the first Wednesday at 3:00pm. With the school year well off the ground, the students in the program will have many opportunities not only to discuss Parks and Recreation issues, but to volunteer in the community for an array of activities that will contribute to community awareness and improvement. Hopefully this message will spread to other students at the high school.
The City of Colton is very excited about this program and looks forward to their development and involvement in civic affairs. Congratulations to the five students of the newly re-established Colton Youth Council.