The San Mateo County Youth Commission (SMCYC) is a youth-led, advisory board to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. SMCYC is looking for passionate young people between the ages of 13 and 21 who reside and attend school in San Mateo County (SMC), to join a strong, energetic group of youth dedicated to making a difference in our community. As a Youth Commissioner, you can improve the lives of all young people throughout SMC, offer youth perspective on important issues facing our community, and work directly with the Board of Supervisors and County departments as a leader and voice for youth in the county.
Please review our website for more information: https://www.smcgov.org/cmo/youth-commission.
If you have any concerns or questions about the SMCYC or application, please reach out to the SMCYC program coordinators:
Helen Lei John Allan hlei@smcgov.org jallan@smcgov.org
Please review this document for a detailed calendar of the 2023-24 SMCYC meetings. On average, there are two evening meetings a month in the evenings from 6pm to 8pm. All meetings are in person in Redwood City in the coming Youth Commission year. Please note that you also must attend the annual retreat (in person) in during the week of July 31-August 4, 2023 (exact dates to be determined).
As a Youth Commissioner, you will be required to serve on a SMCYC committee working on projects throughout the year. As a committee member, you will attend the 2 meetings per month as listed in the 2023-24 SMCYC calendar and should also expect to devote additional time to committee projects.
In addition, Youth Commissioners will have the optional opportunity to apply to serve as a youth liaison to another advisory board or commission to the Board of Supervisors. Serving as a liaison requires attending the other commission’s meetings (usually 1 meeting per month) and working on projects with that commission.
Assignments for committee and liaison roles will be decided during the August and September SMCYC meetings.
Members must attend the regular meetings of the SMCYC and all committees, whether standing or ad hoc, to which they are appointed. If a member has more than two (2) consecutive absences at meetings, and/or four (4) absences over the course of the term, they may be subject to removal, which is done by an Executive Board recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
Attendance will be monitored, and an up-to-date list of commissioners and their attendance will be publicly available. The Youth Commission places high value on attendance and expects Commissioners to be actively involved.
If transportation or other barriers exist that would impact attendance at regular meetings, please contact the SMCYC program coordinators (listed at the top of the application) prior to completing the application to discuss options. We are committed to having a diverse regional representation on the Youth Commission.
Please note: You will need to complete the application in one session (you will not be able to save and return to your application). We recommend preparing your essay responses outside of the application and pasting them into the essay fields.
If you have any questions about this application or require assistance, please contact the SMCYC program coordinators (listed at the top of the application).
This application opened on Thursday, April 13, 2023 and is due by Monday, June 5th, 2023 (midnight). Initial applications will be screened by program staff and current Executive Committee Youth Commissioners and interviews will be scheduled during week of June 19-23, 2023 (exact dates to be determined). Interviews may be virtual or in person.
The application consists of the following sections: