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Parma Youth Commission seeking applicants for 2015-2016 term

5/15/2015 Download pdf here

PARMA, Ohio -- The City of Parma Youth Commission is seeking applicants in grades 9 through 12 who are interested in taking a more active role in their community and helping to make Parma a better place for young people to live and thrive. During its inaugural year last year, members were involved in numerous shadowing, volunteer and charitable activities. Those involved will be given opportunities to participate in local government, network with community business and non-profit leaders, and plan and implement community service projects. However, volunteer participants generally drive the direction of the program.

Created by Mayor Tim DeGeeter and led by program director City Council President Sean Brennan, the ultimate hope of the Commission is to ensure that city leaders become more in touch with the City’s youth and to build a corps of youth leaders.

“Our youth are the future of our community, but sometimes they don’t feel valued,” Mayor DeGeeter said.  “The Youth Commission gives our youth a stake in the community to help make them realize that they are important residents and have a responsibility to get involved and to make a difference.”

Adds Brennan:  “I wholeheartedly agree with the Mayor’s vision for our youth.  By giving young men and women a voice and empowering them, the potential new ideas, opportunities and positive results for the community as a whole are endless.”

Efforts will be made to ensure that the group includes voices from all nine wards, both genders and is reflective of Parma’s diverse ethnic and racial makeup.  Public, private and home-schooled students are welcome to apply.  Meetings will take place about once a month, but may include more as the group plans its activities.  It is envisioned that the meetings will involve members talking about issues facing the city’s youth, including safety, education, youth programs, recreation, etc.  However, the hope is that the Commission, its discussions, tasks and decisions will be youth-driven in large part.  Applications are available on the home page of the City of Parma website at www.cityofparma-oh.gov.

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