The Promise of Municipal Youth Councils: Exploration of Mission, Structure and the Need for Outcome Data

Background and Purpose: Youth civic engagement can take many forms; however, a common model is a municipal youth council, an entity comprised of youth who serve as an advisory body to the Mayor or City Council. Research documents potential benefits of the youth council model: youth are given opportunities to learn how policymaking works, asked to contribute to policy decision-making, and gain access to career paths. Yet, questions remain regarding the impact of youth councils on important community issues such as youth disconnection from school and work. This paper examines how youth councils in the U.S. operate in terms of their mission, structure and topical focus, and their potential for addressing issues of education and employment.

Methods: Measure of America, a report of the Social Science Research Council, was utilized to identify rates of youth disconnection in the 94 largest metropolitan settings in the U.S. Using this sample, data on municipal youth councils were collected from an Internet search of each metropolitan area. The search term “youth council” and the name of the city were used. Additionally, the local government websites were examined for the city council and the mayor’s office. When located, the following information was documented in a table: (1) whether a youth council exists; (2) the stated mission of the council; (3) how long it has been operating; (4) how many youth members participate, and (5) any indication that the youth council addresses issues of education and employment. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the existence, characteristics and focus of the youth council. Summative content analysis was used to examine data related to the stated mission of the councils.

Results: Of 94 metropolitan settings, the majority (n=81; 86 %) had at least one youth council. Of those that reported the year that the youth council began (n=39), most were started in recent years (12 in the 2000s and 11 in the 2010s). So far in the 2020s there have been five youth councils started. Fewer began in the 1980s (n=2) or 1990s (n=9). Among those reporting data on the number of youths the range was from 5 to 100 with a M=24. Only 12 (15%) youth councils reported a specific focus on either education or employment. Content analysis of the mission statements identified five themes related to their stated focus: youth input (n=62), educate and empower (n=39), youth impact (n=23), plan/organize activities and programs (n=16), and community partnerships (n=7).

Conclusions and Implications: Municipal youth councils are common however they are guided by general rather than specific aims. They have potential for recentering and democratizing policymaking through youth voices. Many mission statements are aspirational, offering sweeping statements about council members being the voice of youth in city. Strengthening the mission of these councils, tasking them with addressing issues related to education and employment, and pursuing outcome measurement, has potential for addressing issues of youth disconnection.