FAYETTEVILLE -- A group of eight teenagers wants to leave a legacy by advising the City Council on the issues that matter most to the city's youth.
The initial meetup of the city's Youth Advisory Council happened Thursday at City Hall. The group is made up of ninth through 12th graders from Fayetteville High School, Haas Hall Academy and the New School.
Members will discuss whatever topics they feel pertain to young people living in the city and make policy recommendations to the City Council and administration. They also may organize community events, kickstart educational campaigns and talk with other youth in the city about topics to bring to the council. Conversely, the City Council may ask the youth council for input on issues.
The group's interests ran the gamut of municipal issues: the environment, transportation, community service and engagement, diversity, mental health, arts and culture and public safety.
Staff with the offices of the city clerk and city attorney gave the students a rundown on the basics of municipal government and how to conduct public meetings. City Council Member D'Andre Jones sponsored the creation of the group and sat in on the meeting. The ice breaker included trivia about the city and state, and members expressed a few topics of interest.
Elizabeth Robinson said the group's members have the unique perspective of being young and living in the city.
"Because we are teenagers, usually people our age are limited to having leadership roles inside our schools or in very small communities," she said. "This gives us an opportunity to expand that and to have more of a lasting impact and a little bit of a legacy."
Generation Z is the generation of change, said Blythe Heimer. Seeing the city government encouraging its youth to make change makes her feel positive for the future, she said.
Alyosha Wood said he saw participating in the group as a way help other people and to learn leadership skills.
Brendan Klaus said he has experienced transportation safety issues while running cross country. The team's coach told the team to run north, not south, along the Razorback Greenway to avoid potential conflicts with car traffic. It was an example of the direct impact municipal government can have on its residents, he said.
"This is our opportunity to make a lasting impact on this community even after we leave it," Klaus said.
Mia Alansari said she was interested in hearing a variety of opinions and making the city a better place to live.
Katherine Hinton and Ellyette Ceola each said they wanted to become more involved and serve their communities.
Grayson Brown said those involved in city government are a cog in a massive system that keeps everything running. The city has never had an advisory panel comprised of young people, so its members are making city history, he said.
"As teenagers, we don't get taken seriously very often, especially by people in government," Brown said. "So to have a group of young people voicing our opinions, it helps not only to take our problems seriously but the entire youth of Fayetteville's problems seriously."
Group membership
The following students are members of the Fayetteville Youth Advisory Council:
Alyosha Wood
Blythe Heimer
Brendan Klaus
Elizabeth Robinson
Ellyette Ceola
Grayson Brown
Katherine Hinton
Mia Alansari
Source: Fayetteville