Youth Commission passes resolution in defense of youth members on borough commissions

An Ordinance introduced by Anchorage Assembly member Dick Triani to the Municipality of Anchorage would eliminate youth members on all Anchorage advisory boards and commissions except for the youth advisory commission.(Ordinance No. AO 2007-24) Why does this affect us all the way up here in Fairbanks? If this passes in Anchorage it may only be a short time before it could happen here, too. Anchorage mayor Mark Beigch Sent a strongly worded letter (which we do not yet have permission to re-post here) to Dick Triani as well as the Anchorage Assembly opposing this ordinance. Out of the 440 board commission members there has been only two under the age of 18 who have served, and currently there is only one.

Note: the following is the opinion of commissioner Lars, and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Youth Commission or the Borough.
Dick Triani thinks that having youth on advisory boards and commissions "jumps the gun" in terms of experience and wisdom needed for positions. This ordinance claims to not completely shut-out youth as non-voting members, but in fact creates many hurdles for them to jump over just to voice their opinions. They must meet state requirements for employment. The last time I checked, I'm not paid to be on the Youth Commission, so what is the purpose except to put up a barrier between youth and commissioners? It is truly sad that some should feel threatened by our presence in government. -Lars

The Youth Commission has swiftly wrote up a counter resolution which it is submitting to the Anchorage Assembly, The Fairbanks Assembly, and the media.

FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH YOUTH COMMISSION

RESOLUTION NO. 2007-01

A RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BY ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY MEMBER WHO IS ATTEMPTING TO ELIMINATE YOUTH FROM MUNICIPAL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

Whereas, young people under the age of 18 comprise between 35-40% of the resident population in any community in Alaska, and

Whereas, young people are resources (mostly untapped resources) in their community, capable of contributing in meaningful, authentic ways to local government and organizations in the communities of which they are a part, and

Whereas, only a small percentage of youth have more than a rudimentary understanding of how local government works, and

Whereas, this lack of understanding only serves to reinforce young people’s detachment from a variety of political processes that affect where they live and spend their time, contributing to youth feeling disconnected from the decision-making processes, and

Whereas, one rationale for engaging youth in decision making is to ensure development of civic mindedness, engagement, and youth leadership, and

Whereas, local government has a responsibility to support young people by providing opportunities to be fully engaged as partners in the decisions that affect them and in the development of solutions to the issues facing their communities, and

Whereas, engaging youth in local governance has multiple levels of benefits: to the youth, to the adults who work with them, and to the organizations in communities in which they live.

Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the Youth Commission of the Fairbanks North Star Borough speaks against the proposed ordinance before the Anchorage Assembly to eliminate opportunities for youth to be equal partners with adults on Municipal boards and commissions in Anchorage.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED copies of this resolution shall be sent to the FNSB Assembly and to the Anchorage Assembly. PASSED AND APPROVED THIS 19^th DAY of FEBURARY , 2007.

SIGNED: Tristan Walsh, Member
Kelley Brazeau, Chair
Lars Osborne, Deputy Chair

Victoria Foote, FNSB Assembly & Commission Partner

Andre Layral, Adult Partner, FNSB Youth Commission