Waterloo Times

The Waterloo city council recently celebrated their youth council and swore in a new member at the first meeting of the year.

During a Jan. 3 city council meeting, Executive Adviser Carol Luce addressed the council about how the Waterloo Youth City Council was formed five years ago with the help of Mayor Quentin Hart. The first few years of the council were mostly formative, writing their own bylaws and starting to create a budget. The council now markets themselves, has community outreach programs, and has decided upon their main focus of youth mental health.

"This council put together three different PSAs with the help of the Waterloo Community Schools Career Center. These pieces were turned into commercials on WWL. These pieces have aired over 2448 times on radio," Luce said at the meeting. "It's not enough, we know that. They also hosted a QPR training for students and it was open to the community. Ryan Nesbit, who is the co-director of Alive and Running, facilitated that training. Over 40 people attended. That's not enough. QPR stands for question, persuade, and referral so these students now can go into their school community and reach out to other youth that might be needing some help."

The youth council has already done many programs and events to promote youth mental health in the area. They designed a QR code that is now printed on the back of student ID’s from school districts across the area, including some of the private schools and also took a bill requesting more funding and awareness for youth mental health to 53 elected officials in Des Moines. The bill was denied, but the youth council is already planning on going back to try again. They are also working on starting an art program in the community to help young artists express what they are feeling.

Avery Engel, the mayor of the youth city council also addressed the council at the meeting. He thanked all of their advisors of the youth council, especially Carol Luce and Glen Keith for sticking around since the beginning and also thanked the mayor and the council for their support in the youths’ endeavors as well. The mayor then swore in the members of the youth council as officials members and servants of the community.