Salem Seeks Teen Volunteers For Youth Commission

SALEM, MA — Salem teens are invited to apply for volunteer positions on the reconstituted Salem Youth Commission designed to encourage youth involvement in the community, enhance leadership skills and empower younger people to voice their concerns and ideas about what's happening in the city.

The SYC is open to those 14 to 19 years old. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 22.

The Salem Youth Commission is led by Sarah Roy, the Director of the Salem Children’s Alliance for the City of Salem.

"It is imperative that we create opportunities to capture youth voice and create impactful systems that lead to meaningful changes in our city," Roy said, "Empowering teens to identify challenges that they face while recognizing opportunities to address these needs will not only empower them to develop critical thinking skills and interpersonal effectiveness strategies, but it will be a true asset to community leaders who will benefit from hearing firsthand what teens view as priorities in Salem."

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said the Salem Youth Commission "will bring important perspectives to the table."

Members are asked to be liaisons between the city and its younger residents and are will be provided leadership development training through guest speakers, workshops and special programs.

The mayor's office with review applications and make recommendations to the Salem City Council for appointments. The SYC is set to meet monthly.

Online applications are available here.

Those with any additional questions are encouraged to reach out to Sarah Roy at sroy@salem.com.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)