SHREVEPORT, La. – The Shreveport City Council is considering creating a youth council to get young people more involved and informed with local government.
However, not everyone is immediately on board.
Councilman Alan Jackson suggests a youth council made up of local high school student body presidents.
He says young people deserve a voice in their communities.
The vote on the proposed youth council was postponed until the April 23 meeting to give more time to address concerns voiced by some.
“So, I’m asking you to table it because I want to make sure all of the concerns this council has is addressed. I want to make sure that everybody who has any reservations or some things we need to tweak, we get that done,” said Jackson.
One government watcher wonders if the move is good for the city.
“For me to rely on a young person to direct your path as a council person, I cannot do that,” said Jon Glover, who spoke against the youth council. “When it comes to government, that’s why they take civics in high school. To help them to begin to form their interest prayerfully in government. At the same time, I don’t think they’re equipped and though you want to equip them, this is just not the setting for me.”
“We have great talent in our youth in the city of Shreveport. Let’s not let these great minds be excluded and what will be their future. Moreover, these fresh ideas are exactly what’s needed to make Shreveport a city of prosperity and growth,” said Carla Collins, who supports the idea.
Some council members feel they need more time to straighten out the details including the structure of the council and who will oversee it.
“So, I think going in and looking at the structure of the way that we do this, that it is highly important that we structure that in a way that is going to be viable and feasible for that. You know, so as far as involving our youth, I think that we need to involve them at a level on which they will understand it and their feedback is critically important to us, is critically important to the city,” said said District A Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor.
“The CLO (community liaison officer) …they do want to be a big part of this process. They are just not sure that they can just take it on and be the leader of it,” said Jackson.
Jackson says the youth council will build stronger communities and help city leaders make wiser public investments.
He also says getting students to participate will help promote the full and healthy development of young people and make them less likely to pursue risky behaviors.
“I think we are at a critical point in our city when it comes to our youth, especially when we see the rise in crime amongst youth,” said Taylor.
Jackson says that a long-range goal is to build off this council and create a youth master plan for the city.
