At their Oct. 29 regular meeting, Olympia City Council recognized a number of youth advisors for their service and acted to appoint 16 young people to serve as members of the inaugural Olympia Youth Council.  

Bringing diverse perspectives and life experiences to the Youth Council are incoming members: Stella Artemis, Willow Chen, Gavin Cruz, Eman Haroon, Varshana Horback, Demorie Joseph, Melinda Le, Shruthi Lingam-Nattamai, Victoria Liu, Enrique Luis Rodriguez Lloyd, Nolan O'Connell, Sophia Park, Kaelyn Valazquez, Allison Walker, Toby Wilson and Eric Zhang.  

The Youth Council's role will be to increase the sense of belonging and value of the youth in Olympia as they contribute to City government and decision making. 

The Olympia Youth Council's creation was proceeded by an exploration process initiated by Mayor Pro Tem Yến Huỳnh in 2022. Those efforts led to support from the entire council and a direction to procced in 2023.  

"There were so many hands that touched this work - certainly the young people advisors - to help us build what this Youth Council should be, what it should not be, and a good selection process. All throughout the way we really centered and prioritized the youth voices - and it paid off every time," said Huỳnh. "Truly. I am so excited."

City staff and consultants used an inclusive, human-centered approach to move progress forward across 2024. This meant empowering a team of youth advisors throughout the visioning and recruitment process. The advisors crafted a mission, purpose and vision; outlined subcommittee and leadership positions; set standard operating procedures and community norms; guided summer recruitment efforts and participated in the final interview panel. Their aim has been to achieve a diverse, equitable and inclusive Youth Council.    

The first business meeting of the Olympia Youth Council will occur on January 15, 2025.