Westborough High Schoolers Wanted For Town Youth Commission

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Westborough is looking for two incoming 11th graders to join the Youth Commission, which helps the town shape policy to meet the needs of young people.

Here's more from a town press release:

The Westborough Youth Commission is seeking two high school students, who will be juniors
during the 2022-2023 school year, to serve as voting members of the Westborough Youth
Commission. Student Youth Commission members take a leadership role in Town government
and provide community service towards the mission of Youth and Family Services, a
department of the Town of Westborough. The mission of Youth and Family Services is to
provide counseling and social services to Westborough residents and to promote behavioral
health and wellness for the entire community.

The Youth Commission is a nine member volunteer board, composed of five adults and four
high school students, appointed by the Board of Selectmen to advocate for the needs of youth,
adults and families in Westborough. The Youth Commission meets monthly with the Director
of Youth and Family Services to guide the direction of the department.

Responsibilities of Youth Commission (YC) Student Members:

• Serve a two-year term, September of junior year (2022) through June of senior year (2024). Newly appointed members will also be encouraged to attend the June 2022 meeting of the YC, to say farewell to outgoing seniors and to get oriented to the YC.
• Attend monthly YC meetings, usually on the 4th Monday of each month, at 6:30 PM in the Forbes Municipal Building, with an option to join via Zoom.
• Provide youth perspective and report about the status and needs of local youth.
• Contribute input and feedback regarding development of policies and programming for Youth and Family Services (YFS).
• Volunteer time to help with YFS and YC programs and activities.
• Serve as ambassador, representing the YC and YFS at school and in the larger community.
• Commit 2-3 hours of time per month to the Youth Commission.
• Attend Town Meeting twice a year.

Qualifications of Youth Commission Student Candidates:

• Current 10th grade student; expected to be a high school junior in the fall of 2022.
• Demonstrated interest in and commitment to at least one of the following: community service, advocacy, mental health, social and racial justice, political action, government.

To Apply:

Prior to applying, please explore the Youth & Family Services website to learn more about YFS and the Youth Commission.

Attend the next Youth Commission meeting (optional) to see the group in action, to see if it is a fit for you.

The next meeting is April 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Forbes Municipal Building, 45 West Main St., Room 327, 3rd Floor. Or join via Zoom at this link. Meeting ID: 934 9206 6104; Passcode: 555733

Submit letter of interest by Wednesday, May 11, 5:00PM, to Cara Presley, Director of Youth and Family Services, via email: cpresley@town.westborough.ma.us. The letter of interest is your application to become a member.

Letter of interest must include:

• Applicant’s full name, phone number and email address
• Explanation of applicant’s interest in becoming a YC member and why the applicant would be a good fit for the YC
• YFS Director will review letters of interest and contact applicants by email.
• Applicants will attend a brief virtual information session in the week after applications are received.
• Candidates will then attend a virtual meeting of the Youth Commission on Monday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. to meet current YC members, share about their interest and learn about the role of YC youth members.
• Following the May 23rd YC meeting, the YFS Director and the current Youth Commission will submit recommendations to the Board of Selectmen for two new youth voting members to be appointed.

To submit applications and to inquire further, contact:

Cara Presley, LICSW
(Pronouns: she/her/hers)
Director of Youth & Family Services Tel: 508-366-3090
cpresley@town.westborough.ma.us