New team sworn in for Youth Council

LYNN – The third incarnation of Lynn’s Youth Council was inducted during a City Hall ceremony where participants got to rub shoulders with their City Council counterparts.”It’s pretty much the same setup,” said Councilor at large Brendan Crighton, who, along with School Committee member Charlie Gallo, has been a strong supporter of the council. “The kids are ages 12-19, there are 18 members and there is an application process and pretty rigorous interview.””It’s a big accomplishment to have been chosen,” Gallo said.Students are chosen from each ward, serve staggered terms and meet periodically with councilors as well as School Committee members. Last year’s induction involved much fewer teens and was low-key, both Crighton and Gallo admitted.”This year there was a much bigger turnover,” Gallo said.This year’s inductees include Adam Washington, Amelia Ferreras, Kelly Biv, Leonardo Casillas, Osayaba Ayinla, Jayden Lowe, Clarissa Caraballo, Kearvyn Arne, Jacianna Lights, Christopher Garcia, Danitza Luque, Devyn Astuccio, Nada Laroussi, Jodi Palumbo, Caroline MacDonald, Jayson Sanderson and Markendy Fils-Aime.The Youth Council was formed in 2012 to give students a voice and also to give them a first-hand look at how local government works.On the School Committee side, Gallo said the young councilors are invited to observe meetings to get a feel for the process and how municipal meetings are run.”But more importantly they are also invited to present to us,” he added.Gallo said the most memorable presentation the councilors made was a pitch to have a career fair for students at Lynn English and Classical high schools. The teens argued that Lynn Vocational Technical Institute holds a career fair for its students each year, but English and Classical had never had such an event, Gallo explained. The result was a day-long career fair held at Classical for both high schools.”That was all a Youth Council initiative,” he said.Crighton said the Youth Council also became involved when the city decided to bond $4 million in 2012 in order to fund a number of repair projects around the city. Crighton said the teens were very passionate when it came to lobbying for work on the parks and space for youth.He said the teens also came out to see Cory Booker, who at the time was mayor of Newark, N.J. Booker has since won a seat in the U.S. Senate.”It was really neat for them to meet a high-profile politician,” Crighton said. “It’s great to get involved in politics at a young age.”Gallo said he likes that the council gives the teens a real connection to their hometown.”In Lynn we struggle with younger folk wanting to leave,” he said.Every time he visits a school, Gallo asks who is looking forward to graduating and leaving the city, and lots of hands always shoot up, he said.He believes getting the students engaged in civic life, showing them they have a voice, at least on the School Committee side, might encourage some of those kids to come back once they finish college.”This gives them some ownership and helps them build a future, I think.”