The Evansville City Council on Monday passed a resolution in support of creating a Youth City Council. Pictured are (from left) Jordan Barksdale of North High School Natalie Fehrenbacher of Central High School, Leslie Martin of Central High School, Tim Dwyer of Signature School and Evansville City Council President Alex Burton.
EVANSVILLE — As a teenager, Alex Burton’s first exposure to local government came with his appointment to an aquatics task force during the administration of then-Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.
Burton, who was elected to the City Council in November and is council president in his first year, said he hopes a new Youth City Council will send young people on similar paths in the future.
The City Council on Monday passed a resolution endorsing the Youth City Council concept. Burton, D-Fourth Ward, and two other new councilors, Kaitlin Moore, D-At-Large and Ben Trockman, D-First Ward, were approached about the idea by Central High School student Leslie Martin.
Martin is Indiana’s youth governor through the statewide We The People Youth in Government program. Through talking with peers from other states, she learned about similar efforts in other communities to involve young people in government.
She also was motivated by the coronavirus pandemic and marches for racial justice.
Martin said she knows many youths locally who “in their own ways want to impact change, but they don’t know how.”
Burton, Moore and Trockman encouraged Martin to proceed. The City Council resolution approved on a voice vote Monday was sponsored by all nine members.
Martin and a small group of friends from other schools are writing bylaws for the Youth City Council. Members are to be appointed by Evansville City Council members, as well as Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, and they will have one-year terms on an academic year cycle.
Local government officials will act as mentors for those who they appoint to the Youth City Council.
The Youth City Council will meet prior to each Evansville City Council meeting, likely on the preceding Saturday, Martin said. Because the YMCA is involved in the We The People program, the YMCA locally has offered its facilities.
Martin said the Youth City Council will seek membership diversity in all forms, including having representation from each local high school as well as a home-schooled member.
Now that the City Council has endorsed the Youth City Council concept, Burton said youth involved will take the lead in creating it.
“We didn’t tell her (Martin) to go down this route, but we were fully supportive,” Burton said.
Martin invited those who want to become involved to email her at indianayouthgovernor@gmail.com.
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