<< Previous   of   Next >> Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Members of the Mill Creek Youth Advisory Board, executive member Delin Huang (from left), 17, co-chair Ilena Adamson, 17, and executive member Sarah Person, 17, discuss upcoming events at a recent Youth Advisory Board meeting at Mill Creek City Hall. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Members of the Mill Creek Youth Advisory Board, youth advisor coordinator Kristen Snyder (from left), secretary Sharon Kim, 16, and co-chair Victoria Bui, 16, discuss upcoming events at a board meeting.

ADVERTISEMENT

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Youth Council serves city's teens

By Katie Murdoch
Enterprise editor

Members of the Mill Creek Youth Advisory Board have thrown out the negative perception of community service as a chore and have instead fused giving back to socializing and entertainment.

Last week the youth board prepared for an upcoming trivia night to attract other teens to socialize and have something fun to do. Teens will pay a $5 entry fee and be divided into teams to answer trivia about movies and music to win gift certificates.

Kristen Snyder, a city recreation staffer who coordinates the youth board program, said the event doubled as a fundraiser for sweatshirts and to cover the costs of future events and trips.

The next event for the board is volunteering at the citywide Halloween Trunk-or-Treat event. People will display their themed cars and hand out candy. Youth board members will be there resupplying the cars with candy and collecting canned goods for the Volunteers of America food bank.

Snyder said the teens who join are typically trying to take advantage of the chance to be involved with the community and assume leadership roles.

“They're very studious and active kids,” she said. “They like to get involved.”

Board co-chair Ilena Adamson, 17, is a student at Henry M. Jackson High School and has served on the board for three years.

Adamson said it was her mother's encouragement and a shortage of things to do that prompted her to join the board.

“I like how it's interactive,” she said. “There's not much for teenagers to do to feel involved.”

Adamson said her favorite activity is Parents Night Out, when parents drop off their children to play games, do arts and crafts and watch movies with board members while they go on a date.

“It's always fun. I love kids,” she said.

Adamson said the group focuses on community service and social events. They're also trying to reach outside of Mill Creek. Last year, for example, the board volunteered at a soup dinner for Housing Hope, a nonprofit that provides affordable housing to low-income families across Snohomish County.

Adamson said the board offers leadership skills and prepares teens for a world outside of high school.

“It gives people the opportunity to know the community and how it works,” she said.

Secretary Sharon Kim, 16, also a Jackson student who is serving her second year on the board, said the program appeals to her.

“You get to have fun with other people while doing good for the community,” she said.

Working with teenagers from other high schools gives her a change from the people she sees every day at school and the opportunity to meet more diverse people, she said.

Kim said it seems few people try to find opportunities to get involved either because they do not have time or because there aren't enough activities.

“There are fun things to do; it's not your typical community service,” she said.

In the past, board members volunteered as elves during the city's tree lighting events where they assisted with pictures with Santa and decorated cookies with children.

The Youth Advisory Board was organized in 2005. This year's board has 27 members, primarily students from Jackson High and Heatherwood Middle schools. Members meet bi-monthly on the first and third Wednesday.

The board is open to high school students and seventh- and eighth-graders. Teens must fill out an application packet and answer questions about their hobbies, how they will balance their time commitments and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Applicants also have to collect two recommendations from non-related adults.