CAYC Conference: Equity in Youth Commissions

By Anya Dalal

On Saturday, November 9, 2024, the California Association of Youth Commissions (CAYC) hosted a virtual conference. Student steering committee members and adult advisory board speakers discussed topics such as fentanyl awareness, social media in schools, voter registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, youth voice in state policy, and equity in youth commissions. 

The timing of our conference, planned many months ago, was not coincidental. Regardless of the outcomes of the elections on November 5th, we wanted to remind the youth of California that they can make a difference in their communities by influencing local government through youth commissions. Now, with the CAYC, the youth of California have a mechanism to work on state policy as well. And that’s exactly what we intend to do.

At the CAYC, we believe our ability to prosecute an effective policy agenda in Sacramento is vitally linked to equity among youth commissions. These concepts cannot be decoupled. That’s why a major focus for us is increasing diversity within youth commissions, but also addressing head-on the reality that there are simply not enough youth commissions in lower-income areas of California. We have developed a start-up toolkit to help teens in these areas get up and going. But that is not enough. For example, we have developed best practices for youth commissions to increase their funding by partnering with local businesses; however, this can be of limited relevance in areas of California where the local economy may not be flourishing. We have developed guidelines for maximizing the usage of community resources like community centers. But what if the community center is to be closed because a town’s budget is shrinking?

We don’t have all the answers, but we can ask the questions. We are systematically studying where and why youth commissions in California’s form. Furthermore, we actively examine where we can be maximally impactful in helping to establish new youth commissions. We have been struck by how many areas of California lack youth commissions, but we have also demonstrated significant mismatches between those who live in particular areas and those who represent them on town councils and school boards. This will likely be an essential element in where we decide to focus. We have made a tool available on our website that allows one to look at school districts in California and evaluate school board ethnicity and gender, as well as the population within the district's boundaries. We will present findings from this work in January at the Southern Political Science Association. 

We encourage folks to examine the data and draw their own conclusions. At the CAYC, we believe we have a lot of work to do to help create youth commissions and support their activities. We look forward to the challenge.

Image credit: Alameda Education Foundation