[Adopted 4-13-2021 by Ord. No. 1232]
This article shall be known as and may be cited as the "Monessen
Youth and Young Citizens Board Ordinance."
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any citizen of Monessen who is aged 18 to 40 years.
Any citizen of Monessen who is aged 18 or under, and/or is
enrolled in a K-12 program.
The Monessen Youth and Young Citizens Board is hereby created,
by and for the City of Monessen.
A.
Membership. The Board shall be composed of seven members, who shall
serve without compensation. Appointments shall be made by following
the procedures as stated in the City of Monessen's Resolution
11 of 2020, regarding appointment procedures of Boards, Authorities,
and Commissions.
B.
In order to keep terms staggered, the Board members shall be appointed
in the manner as follows: Year one, four positions appointed; Year
two, three positions appointed; with the exception of the initial
appointments, which shall be made by Council at the same time, and
the initial duration of terms shall be selected by the appointee drawing
a number at random.
C.
The Board shall include:
(1)
Two youth members.
(a)
Shall be a resident of Monessen, and junior or senior at Monessen
High School or a K-12 program. Their names are to be referred to Monessen
City Council by a faculty and/or member of the administrative staff
at Monessen High School, and/or by submitting an application and letter
of interest to Monessen Mayor and City Council.
(b)
Each youth member must accept the nomination, and write a formal
letter of commitment, before being considered for appointment.
(c)
Each youth member shall serve a two-year term.
(2)
Two educators, either active or retired.
(a)
A retired educator, in any subject, who is either:
[1]
A resident of Monessen;
[2]
Familiar with and has devoted their time in Monessen with their
career, or through volunteer work.
[3]
To be considered for appointment, they shall:
[a]
Submit a letter of intent to Mayor and Council;
and
[b]
Complete a Board, Authority, and Commission Application
form, and meet the requirements for appointment, as laid out in Resolution
11 of 2020.
[c]
They must have the necessary Child Clearances,
as laid out by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[d]
This term shall be a two-year term.
(3)
Two young adult members.
(a)
Shall be a Monessen resident.
(b)
To be considered for appointment, they shall:
[1]
Submit a letter of intent to Mayor and Council; and
[2]
Complete a Board, Authority, and Commission Application form,
and meet the requirements for appointment, as laid out in Resolution
11 of 2020.
[3]
They must have the necessary Child Clearances, as laid out by
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[4]
This term shall be a two-year term.
(4)
One at-large resident of Monessen.
(a)
Preferably, a resident who does or has recently worked with
youth, and has been a resident for at least one year.
(b)
To be considered for appointment, they shall:
[1]
Submit a letter of intent to Mayor and Council; and
[2]
Complete a Board, Authority, and Commission Application form,
and meet the requirements for appointment, as laid out in Resolution
11 of 2020.
[3]
They must have the necessary Child Clearances, as laid out by
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[4]
This term shall be a two-year term.
D.
Qualifications. Qualifications for eligibility are as follows:
(2)
All adult members (age of 18 and over) must have all child clearances,
as required and recommended by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
E.
Vacancies. An appointment shall be made by a majority vote of Monessen
City Council, in order to fill any vacancies, for the remaining term
of the open seat.
F.
Graduating youth member positions. If a youth member graduates before
their term has expired, they may remain on the Board, so long as the
remainder of their term does not exceed one year.
G.
Bylaws. The Board shall enact bylaws, by a majority vote of its members,
in order to dictate how the Board will fulfill its mission. Approved
bylaws shall not contradict anything laid out in this article. The
Board shall submit a copy of the current bylaws, as approved by its
members, to the City Clerk, for reference.
H.
City Council liaison. The Monessen City Council may appoint a liaison
from its membership, to serve as a nonvoting member of the Board.
A.
The purpose of these provisions is to establish a Youth and Young
Citizens Board of the City of Monessen.
B.
The City of Monessen Youth and Young Citizens Board will seek to
ensure that all Monessen City youth are aware of and have access to
positive opportunities to meet their basic needs to:
C.
More specifically, the Board will advocate for supportive policies,
facilitate enriching experience, work with established groups and
organizations in Monessen and the region, who cater towards supporting
youth; and will regularly assess how well the City and other local
youth-serving organizations are doing in achieving the following intended
outcomes for youth:
(1)
Academic success; academically prepared for post-secondary opportunities;
(2)
Good health and well-being;
(3)
Strong character;
(4)
Informed decision making;
(5)
Civic engagement;
(6)
Job readiness;
(7)
Developmentally appropriate levels of independence;
(8)
Cultural awareness and sensitivity; educated and exposed to their
own, as well as other cultures.
D.
The Board may use such reference materials, data, and research-based
methods, such as the Pennsylvania Youth Survey, or other relevant,
similar publications, in order to meet its objectives.
E.
One of the long-term goals of the Youth and Young Citizens Board
shall be to establish Youth Participatory Program in the City of Monessen.
The goals of a Youth Participatory Program would be to establish a
program led by youth that focuses on promoting youth's understanding
of City government work, developing youth leadership, elevating youth
voices in the City of Monessen, and providing a platform for youth
to propose and fund projects that directly relate to their concerns.
Monessen's City youth and children have limited access to government
officials, they lack programs that promote their direct engagement
with City government, and are often absent in the conversation about
development. The youth and children of Monessen are one of the most
vulnerable groups that are directly affected by development and changes
in the City. They are affected by decisions on property values, school
districts, and access to City amenities like public transportation,
recreational facilities, and even the political process. Nonetheless,
their voices are not always represented in the political decision-making
process. These challenges play an important role in promoting a sense
of place and belonging for young individuals of Monessen. The voices
of youth and children are usually excluded from the political process,
as they are not allowed to vote, and not well-equipped to advocate
for their preferred policies. Objectives and learning outcomes include:
(1)
Advancing a sense of civic engagement through program participation;
(2)
Equipping youth with skills to advocate for themselves;
(3)
Equipping youth with skills to engage in the City Council processes;
(4)
Empowering youth to advocate for issues they are passionate about
in the City;
(5)
Empowering youth to make informed decisions about City budgetary
choices;
(6)
Exposing youth to organizations, groups, allies and individuals who
work on youth and children;
(7)
Identifying key issues and areas of collaboration with the City;
(8)
Involving youth in the political and legislative processes;
(9)
Growing a sense of place with youth and children of Monessen;
(10)
Learning about City Council work, functions, challenges and
limitations;
(11)
Learning advocacy strategies;
(12)
Learning from and about local organizations that support youth
and children;
(13)
Learning skills to use feedback to develop work strategies;
(14)
Learning to identify areas for collaboration within City Council
and organizations in Monessen.
F.
Recognizing this need and the importance of highlighting youth's
lived experiences, the Youth Participatory Program would aim to provide
youth with the skills, opportunity and access to engage City government
directly with project proposals that directly pertain to Monessen's
youth.
In the event any provision, section, sentence, clause or part
of this article shall be held to be invalid, such invalidity shall
be severable and shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions,
sections, sentences, clauses, or parts of this article; it being the
intent of the City of Monessen that the remainder of the article shall
be and shall remain in full force and effect.
All ordinances or resolutions or parts of ordinances or resolutions
insofar as they are inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed and
rescinded.
This article shall come into effect 10 days after enactment.
