C GETTING
STARTED
Here are some considerations.
1. COUNCIL CONSIDERATIONS
To help ensure the youth advisory council’s
success, here are some lessons we learned
when building the team.
Obtain buy-in.
Get permission and support from building and/
or district administration.
• Use resources from the Colorado Department
of Public Health & Environment to make the
case for why a youth council is valuable.
• Ask youth to write a letter to the school
administration outlining their needs (see an
example).
Create partnerships.
If you are working with a community partner or
funder, consider creating a letter of agreement
to outline roles and responsibilities.
• Possible partners may include local public
health departments, parks and recreation
centers, municipalities, hospitals, etc.
Consider group size.
Choose the number of team members (this may
be dependent on budget, but a group size of
10 to 15 allows for accountability and consensus
for decision-making).
Ensure inclusivity.
Ensure inclusivity for all voices, schools within
your district, populations, etc.; consider youth
leaders who may not be the typical leader or
who are inexperienced with formal leadership
positions (e.g., National Honors Society,
student government, athletics). Look for these
characteristics:
• Community-minded
• Creative
• Passionate
• Dedicated
• Reliable
Youth can lead anywhere from any chair. Keep
an open mind — anyone can be a leader. To
foster meaningful engagement, leadership
development, and significant community impact,
the council must include diverse voices that
reflect population demographics.
Plan intentionally.
Start with what you want to achieve by the
end of the year. For example, create a plan
to showcase your successes after making an
impact (you’ll be glad you did, it’s great to share
and highlight your hard work!).
• Work with administrators regarding data
collection/evaluation methods (i.e., youth
surveys).
• Quantitative: number of youth applications,
number of youth who regularly attend,
activities completed, etc.
• Qualitative: capture stories of how
participation has impacted the lives of the
participating youth and of people in the
community, feedback from people affected
by initiatives, etc.
CONSIDER SIMPLIFYING THE FIRST YEAR.
Open the opportunity to one grade level instead
of initially inviting all interested youth. Or consider
identifying specific students to apply by invitation
only.
6
• Create any necessary forms that youth council
members must sign, including photo release
forms and parent and/or school permission
forms.
CREATING YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCILS