County's Youth Task Force Looking for Student Members

SAN JOSE – Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian is encouraging young people who are looking to make a difference in the community to serve as District Five representatives on Santa Clara County’s Youth Task Force (YTF).  District Five includes Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Saratoga, unincorporated Stanford, a portion of San Jose, and a portion of Sunnyvale.

“The participation of young people in our local government is more important than ever,” said Simitian. “We all benefit when voices of all ages have a seat at the table.”

The YTF is an advisory board that works directly with the County Board of Supervisors, policymakers, and other decision-makers to address issues that affect young people in our county. They work on a peer-to-peer level to educate others on the issues that affect their communities, such as foster youth and LGBTQ issues, and youth homeless housing; and to find solutions and develop policies to improve the lives of young people all while promoting activism, advocacy, and understanding cultural diversity.

“Being a member of the YTF was a unique opportunity for me to take on a leadership role and learn more about the County,” says Noa Bronicki, former YTF member and Homestead High School alum. “It was also empowering to work on smaller-scale projects that the YTF could feasibly implement that still addressed elements of the high-level issues we learned about, like affordable housing and teen homelessness.”

Prospective applicants to the YTF must be a resident of Santa Clara County and be between the ages of 12 – 18 years old.  Once appointed, members will serve through August 31, 2023.

“Overall, as a member of the YTF I learned about the County and the problems that it faces, which expanded my point of view, and I had the opportunity to take tangible steps toward addressing those problems, which helped me develop valuable life skills and meaningful friendships and connections,” says Bronicki.

“The work of the Youth Task Force is valuable in our policymaking efforts,” said Simitian. “Young people bring a passion and perspective that might otherwise not be available to our County. It also gives our youth insight into how local government works, and lets them know their voices matter.”

To apply, fill out the online application.

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