A youth commission is comprised of local youth, usually in high school, who offer insight, ideas, and guidance to their communities, mainly town, cities, or counties on issues affecting youth. Youth commissions can also be called youth councils, youth advisory boards, and youth committees, and the members work together to discover and represent issues important to their youth constituents and make recommendations to a city council or board of supervisors.  Youth commissions also create agendas and sponsor initiatives that may include education and awareness of issues such as mental health, substance use and poisoning, and job and internship opportunities. They may provide assistance to the town or city council with projects to build community by organizing events for the elderly and other populations within their jurisdiction.  

Members of a youth commission can gain professional and leadership development while learning about civics education. Youth commissions may encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. Youth commissions empower youth voice in the political process of local government. When a town, city, or county, creates a youth commission, they invest in a new generation of positive changemakers.

Any youth commissions, youth council, youth advisory committee, or youth advisory board in California may join the CAYC.  There is no cost; it is free. On the Mission and About Us pages, one may click on the button that says, “Join Now.” This will direct each youth commission to a Google form that takes less than five minutes to complete. After submitting the form, the CAYC will contact you with next steps!

The California Association of Youth Commissions (CAYC) unites youth commissions across California to share best practices, collaborate on initiatives, and enhance youth well-being. As the first state-level association of its kind, CAYC leverages local insights to drive policy recommendations and support legislation benefiting youth.

CAYC aims to be a collective voice for youth, fostering civic engagement and addressing disparities among youth commissions. Many towns lack such commissions due to limited funding, higher poverty rates, and reduced access to programs. By identifying these barriers, CAYC develops strategies to promote the formation and sustainability of youth commissions statewide.

By sharing resources and best practices, local youth commissions can support one another in their efforts to empower young people, ultimately enhancing the impact and reach of youth commissions throughout California.

The California Association of Youth Commissions (CAYC)  provides a forum for members of local youth commissions across California to share best practices amongst each other in order to enhance the efforts between towns.

The blog section on the website welcomes input from local youth commissions to share their thoughts and experiences with each other.

For those towns that wish to start a youth commission, the CAYC will provide a toolkit of guidelines to assist with the steps of reaching out to the town/city council and garnering support.

The CAYC will support zoom meetings and an annual in-person meeting.

The youth commissions can discuss issues of importance to them, including mental health, substance abuse and inadvertent fentanyl poisoning, and social media. Together, they can work with members of the Advisory Board who are experts in local and state government, education, and behavioral health to address legislation to create a stronger, more supportive environment for our youth in California.