On September 20, 2018, seventeen students were sworn in at the Valdosta City Council meeting to serve on the 2018-19 Valdosta Youth Council.

The VYC, initiated by Mayor John Gayle in 2015, inspires and prepares seventh- through ninth-grade students for leadership and civic opportunities while allowing them to gain a better understanding of municipal government and community service.

Selection was based on academics, involvement in school and community organizations, leadership potential and a written recommendation from a school administrator. The students are:

— Juan Angel, ninth grade, Valdosta High School

— Joseph Butters, seventh grade, Classical Conversations

— Brayden Anderson, seventh grade, Valdosta Middle School

— Emily Dinkins, eighth grade, St. John Catholic School

— Will Gerber, ninth grade, Valdosta High School

— Daniel Holcombe, ninth grade, Valdosta High School

— Jeffrey Barrett, seventh grade, Valdosta Middle School

— Najah Blankumsee, eighth grade, J.L. Newbern Middle School

— George Butters, seventh grade, Classical Conversations

— Aniya Davenport, ninth grade, Valdosta High School

— Janay Hill, eighth grade, Valdosta Middle School

— Nevin Miller, ninth grade, Lowndes High School

— Catriona Moore, eighth grade, St. John Catholic School

— Natalie Savoie, eighth grade, St. John Catholic School

— Toni Salami, eighth grade, Valdosta High School

— Anthony Thomas, eighth grade, J.L. Newbern Middle School

— Erick Thomas Jr., eighth grade, Valdosta Middle School

“I look forward to working alongside these young leaders throughout the school year, hearing their concerns and suggestions, and witnessing the impact they will have on their peers and within our community,” Gayle said.

The 2018-2019 VYC members, eight of whom are returning from the previous year, are following a successful 2017-18 program year, which included several substantial accomplishments, such as:

• Gained an understanding and appreciation of municipal government by meeting monthly with a variety of City and local leaders including: the Neighborhood Development Manager, the Planning & Zoning Administrator, the Southern Marketing Coordinator for the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture, Officer Carla Jones and her new Therapy Dog “Hope”, the Police Chief, the Stormwater Manager, the Water Treatment Plant Superintendent, the City Marshal and the Public Works Supervisor.

• Participated in the City of Valdosta’s second annual Dumpster Art Project that transformed City trash dumpsters in the downtown area into pieces of public art.

• Participated in the Valdosta Christmas Tree Lighting, the Electronics Recycling event, and other City-sponsored events.

• Traveled to Atlanta to visit the Governor’s Mansion, the State Capitol, and the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture where the youth learned about State government and interacted with State leadership.

• Hosted a Leadership Development Training in January 2018 where VYC members identified leadership traits in themselves, as well as in others.

• Oversaw the 2018 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest.

• Collectively completed more than 100 community service hours.

• Continued a growing presence on the VYC Facebook page for local youth to follow the work of the VYC, to be informed on youth issues, and to discover ways to be engaged in their local government.

• Organized two cleanups of their adopted .6 mile portion of North Lee Street resulting in 15, thirty-gallon bags of trash removed from this City street.

• Produced two VYC Meetings that were shown on Metro 17 with the assistance of Metro 17’s Marcus McConico to discuss issues being addressed each month at VYC meetings and ran 16 VYC stories during the year on City Focus.

•Documented their third year of VYC activities in a hard-bound scrapbook that will be passed on each year to the succeeding council.

The VYC is guided by an Advisory Board which is appointed by Mayor John Gayle who serves as the head of the Board. The 2018-19 VYC Advisory Board members are Laurie Wallace of St. John Catholic School, James White of J.L. Newbern Middle School, Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody of District 1, and city staff members Teresa Bolden, Ashlyn Becton and Marcus McConico.

The VYC meetings are held from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. just prior to the second City Council Meeting of each month in the Council Chambers (unless otherwise noted) and they are open to the general public.