High School Students—Youth Commission

The City of San José Youth Commission is an appointed body of eleven (11) local young people, ages 14-21, modeled after the San José City Council. Since 1971, the Youth Commission has been recognized are the official youth advisory group to San José Mayor and City Council.

As representatives of the young people for the nation’s 10th largest city, San José Youth Commissioners are involved with high-priority policy recommendations, civic participation among local youth, leadership of district-based Youth Advisory Councils, and social events for San José teens.

Some cool experiences of recent Youth Commissioners include:

• Designing and hosting a multi-district Youth Leadership Summit and Dance where over 100 local young people gathered to address personal leadership, gang intervention, higher education, and high school unity.
• Meeting and working with key Silicon Valley and California leaders, including San José Mayor Chuck Reed, San José City Council Members, Santa Clara County Supervisors, regional business leaders, and Governor Schwarzenegger.
• Participating in special leadership groups, such as the San José Human Rights Commission, where Commissioners study problems, activities and concerns of local young people relating to City policies and services.
• Speaking at local schools as part of a role model project to encourage young people to get involved in their schools, find positive peer support networks, and work toward vocational or college education.
• Leading philanthropy events such as the regional prom dress collection event, where local students donated new or gently used prom dresses and accessories to high school teens who could not otherwise afford them in hurricane-battered New Orleans.
• Designing and hosting the Annual San José City Hall Youth in Government Day program, where hundreds of students have learned about the great ways to participate in their local government…you don’t have to wait until you turn 18 for this!

High School Students