Crested Butte Youth Council gearing up

The young people in Crested Butte are uniting. Look for an uprising in the way of community involvement in the coming year as 10 students were sworn-in at Monday’s Town Council meeting to serve on the new Crested Butte Youth Council.

Taking the same oath that senior council members recite at the beginning of their terms, Youth Council members Emmett McFarland, Karleigh Dean, Jena D’Aquila, Skylar Kraatz, Natalie Barefield, Jesse D’Aquila, Leah Wrisley, Abby Whiting, Jesse Dean and Danny Boy D’Aquila started their terms at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Charged with breathing new creativity into old forms of youth collaboration, the new Youth Council is comprised of two bodies: the elected representatives or councilmen (two elected reps per grade, serving one-year terms); and the general council body made up of any interested students, grades 8 through 12. Those elected have vowed to focus on a trifecta of spheres: community service, town government and youth empowerment.
“I feel like it’s a really good thing, what we’re doing. It’s great that we students are becoming more involved in the community and I hope we raise a ton of money,” said eighth-grade representative Danny Boy D’Aquila.
The group has ambitious goals for each aspect. In the way of community service they plan to implement projects as well as contribute to existing community service organizations and programs such as the Rotary Club; they will help orchestrate the annual Ducky Race fundraiser this summer. Proposed service projects also include supporting Gunnison Valley’s elderly population, potentially providing temporary labor for local businesses, starting a community garden, and many other spirited endeavors.
In the civic sphere, the Youth Council will work closely with the mayor and Crested Butte Town Council to not only gain a deeper understanding of the town government but also to inform policy and work together on common goals. The young people will be required to attend a “Municipal Gov’t 101” training organized by town staff and will report to the Town Council and mayor on a regular basis. The first partnership with the Town Council will be a soap box derby event to raise funds for the town’s Fourth of July Fireworks display.
“I was really pleased with the energy the young adults brought into the council chambers Monday night and hope it’s indicative of the level of success and commitment the partnership of the two boards will share,” said Town Manager Susan Parker.
The Youth Council’s focus on empowerment is an amalgamation of teenage joie de vivre and responsible money management. Based on youth interests and needs, the Youth Council will plan events for middle and high school students such as concerts, dances, after prom events, casino nights and the like, to provide area youth with entertainment and to promote safe, alcohol- and drug-free opportunities for young people in the valley. The Youth Council will also be required to develop long-and short-term fundraising plans. Their first fundraising effort will be a community casino night in April.
The Youth Council was conceptualized after the local youth substance abuse prevention coalition, GCSAPP, The Studio Art School and Crested Butte Mayor Leah Williams (along with 40 community members) came together for a youth summit in the fall of 2009. With the focus of reducing the high drug use among Crested Butte Community School students, attendees sought ways to give young people in the community a voice and a sense of inclusion. Building a Youth Council that would loosely mirror the town council format was a result of that meeting.
“We kept hearing from parents and students that there’s nothing for youth to do in this town after sun goes down. We wanted to give the youth a voice of their own and allow them to make their own decisions rather than adults always telling them what to do,” says Melissa Neuner, part of the team that helped build the Youth Council. “This group is driven. I can’t wait to see what all they’ll accomplish.”
There is also an adult advisory board in the works, comprised of interested parents and community members who will work together to aid the Youth Council in accomplishing their goals. For more information or to get involved, contact Melissa Neuner at melissaneuner@gmail.com.