BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bringing issues that impact youth to light and finding solutions– the City of Bakersfield is gathering students looking to be a part of their youth commission.
- The City of Bakersfield is looking for students wanting to make a difference.
- Qualifying high school students in Bakersfield can now apply to be a part of the City’s commission.
- The Bakersfield Youth Commission is currently accepting applications, available on the City Clerk's Office website.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This is Braden Mendiburu’s second year on the Bakersfield Youth Commission.
He says, “We connect youth leaders to tangible issues in our community. So what we do is we’ll try to find a youth driven issue and we’ll try to come up with an initiative or a project and we can tackle that.”
The commission consists of high school students throughout the Greater Bakersfield Area, representing youth in their ward.
“I’m really hands-on and I like being able to tackle things myself,” said Braden. “The commission is really helpful to be able to connect me with different issues that I’m able to make an impact on in the community.”
Hannah Rosica, the economic and community development planner for the City of Bakersfield, says the commission includes both members and alternate members.
“These kids really want to make a difference, and by providing them a platform and a voice, we are helping them to do that,” says Rosica, “to make this difference within their communities and to address problems that are really important to them.”
Rosica is preparing for her second year running the commission, having seen significant growth among its members throughout the program.
Last year, the commission focused on extracurriculars, helping students develop skills outside the classroom.
Now, with the term ending, the City is looking to fill vacancies.
“They can have the experience going into college to say that they’ve been in groups with other peers and they’ve dealt with some potentially controversial issues, they’ve dealt with some issues that maybe not all of their peers see eye to eye on, and they can collaboratively come together and develop a solution to a problem that they all recognize,” said Rosica.
Members and alternates must:
- Be enrolled in a high school within City limits or a resident of the City and enrolled in a high school within the Greater Bakersfield Area (meant to allow for qualification of students/high schools within County pockets of the City);
- Have a grade point average in the proximity of a 3.0;
- Not an immediate family member of a City councilmember or the mayor.
But Rosica encourages all to attend and make public comments at their meetings.
The Bakersfield Youth Commission is currently accepting applications available on the City Clerk's Office website linked here.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
