Youth in Governance

Impact in Wisconsin

Youth Voice and Representation: Advising and partnering with government officials and other public decision-makers

Ashland County

• Twenty-four Ashland County 4-H Youth are engaged in partnership with adults for decision making purposes through executive committees, shared leadership in clubs, and partnering through officers positions within the club structure.
• Five Ashland County youth per year attend Ag & Extension Committee meetings to consult with county board members.
• Youth on the Superior Days Delegation function as equal partners in community lobbying teams in Madison.

Burnett County

• County Board passed and youth representatives first sat on the County Board for a term of January to September 2009. The two local papers published photos and an informative article. Some youth have taken the initiative to express opinions. One youth representative did a formal presentation about youth alcohol and drug issues in the county for the County Board, reporting on the Burnett County Youth AODA Prevention Coalition, of which she was a member.
• Extension facilitated a county board strategic planning process coordinated with three civics teachers in the schools, surveying 160 youth and ultimately becoming the largest single group to provide feedback to the strategic plan committee.

Calumet County

• In 2009, the 4-H Leaders Council amended by-laws to add high school-aged youth as voting members and to create two youth positions on the Board of Directors.

Columbia County

• Youth participating in teen court advise changes to policies. These are forwarded to the Juvenile Justice Committee. Youth also attend Columbia County Connects Coalition meetings.
• Teen Court trainings held in 2005 increased the potential jury pool by an additional 27 teens. At the end of 2005, the Portage Police Department was granted approval to directly refer cases. Eighteen cases were heard during the year.

Door County

• Two youth delegates joined the Door County Legislative Days delegation for the first time in 2007. They teamed with adults to visit legislative and agency staff and raised issues related to education and other Door County needs.

Douglas County

• Youth in Governance activities include youth serving on the Superior City Council and Douglas County Board of Supervisors. Youth involved in Superior Days serve on the Youth Delegation and lobby government and agency officials about issues pertaining to Northwest Wisconsin. Youth also serve on community boards, such as United Way or the Murphy Oil Advisory Board. UW-Extension, 4-H Youth Development provides resources and support to all of these programs including recruitment, training and evaluation.
• Beginning in 1998, youth worked with UW-Extension to create a very successful skate park, often used by more than 100 youth per day. From this beginning model of youth-adult partnership, youth serve in many meaningful roles in the county:

Florence County

• Youth members of the TORPEDOs, an Extension-organized youth leadership group, spoke at a legislative joint finance hearing, Senator Kohl’s office, and with State Representative Mursau about tobacco policy,  Two Florence County youth have joined the state youth advisory board for the American Lung Association.

Fond du Lac County

• Three 4-H older teens have each served on the Fond du Lac County 4-H Executive Board for 2 to 3 years. Their terms ended at the end of 2009. Information was gathered from them via interviews. They reported feeling like valuable contributors, participating in significant decision like budgetary choices and setting priorities for the program.

Green Lake County

• Markesan students presented to the Mayor, City Council, and the Public Works Committee advocating greater youth voice. The Public Works Committee approved a motion to have a youth voting member on the Markesan Events Committee.

Iowa County

• Four 4-H youth were elected to the governing body of the Iowa County 4-H Leaders Association for a two year term. The Leaders Council voted to increase this from two members to 4 members in an effort to increase youth involvement in decision making and leadership.

Iron County

• As part of the local comprehensive planning process, 40 students took pictures of how they would like their community to look in 20 years and how they would not like it to look, created presentation boards, and presented before 25 adult leaders on their findings.

Jackson County

• Added three youth members to Law Enforcement Committee where they provide input to five county board members. This is a result of the successful inclusion of five youth on the Extension Education Committee.

Kenosha County

• Youth participating in Youth In Governance members sit on each of nine the Kenosha County Board Committees: Administration, Human Services, Building & Grounds, Judiciary & Law, Extension Education & Conservation, Land Use, Finance, Legislative, and Highway & Parks.

Langlade County

• Six youth serve as members of the county board and are involved on county committees: Land and Water Use,  Land Conservation, Public Health, Public Safety, Finance, and Agriculture and Extension Education. Newspaper and radio stations have covered their involvement.

Lincoln County

• As a result of the involvement of 17 adults and nine youth and adults on the "After the Bell" Steering Committee, a strong after school program for middle school youth was implemented. Lincoln County 4-H Ambassadors worked with youth in afterschool program to plan program improvements and learn citizenship skills.
• Youth led a youth-adult forum to frame the county 4-H Expansion and Review process. 4-H Ambassadors have been active in implementing the outreach plan to broaden the diversity of 4-H membership.
• A youth-adult partnership has existed on the Lincoln County 4-H Board of Directors since the 1991-92 4-H year. At the November 2005 Annual meeting, six youth were elected to the board, moving closer to having an equal number of youth and adults. In 2007, a youth was elected to an officer position for the first time.
• The Lincoln County Teen Court Steering Committee has met monthly since 2005, chaired by one adult and two youth. 3 youth have served as co-chair and all youth members make key decisions in the direction of the Teen Court program. Teen Court has been actively hearing cases since 2006.

Marinette County

• The Teen Court has completed four years and has now had l14 cases. 26 teens serve as panelists (judge and jury), spokesperson, advocate and scribe(recorder) with Hitt and two volunteers as advisors. Because being a panelist has been such a positive experience, this year we started having some offenders do part of their community service sanction as a panelist.

Marquette County

• In September of 2009, four youth were selected from two school districts to serve as youth representatives on the Marquette County Board of Supervisors, a first in Marquette County. Youth representatives cast an advisory vote on all county resolutions and are incorporated into all aspects of the county committees that they serve on.

Milwaukee County

• Youth commissioners were sworn in to the County Board for the first time in 2004.

Oconto County

• Teen Court members became concerned over high school expulsion policies and several joined a task force that presented recommendations to the school board and, having garnered board support, will form a student-adult group to implement the ideas.

Oneida County

• Since 2006, Teens Active in Government (TAG) has one representative and one alternate to the county board and one county committee from each of the three school districts of Lakeland Union, Rhinelander and Three Lakes. The six selected members of the county board are involved in the following county board committees: Ag & Extension Education, Land and Water Conservation, Public Health, Emergency Services and Tourism. TAG members have been guests on a 4-H weekly radio show and newspaper and television have provided coverage of the youth’s involvement.

Ozaukee County

• Port Washington Saukville United for Youth is a youth-adult group working on improving relationships with local law enforcement, providing input to youth member of park and rec board, business improvement district and chamber of commerce.

Pepin County

• In January 2005, the Pepin County Board added youth positions to a board committee: the AEESWEDC.

Pierce County

• Pierce County Extension Community Partner Advisory Group includes two youth among its 20 citizen members. All have heard updates on Extension programming and offered input into issues Extension may address in the future.

Polk County

• Extension-trained youth made a presentation to the Unity school board, gained approval, and began hearing Teen Court sessions on truancy issues beginning in the fall of 2004.

Portage County

• Five youth and twenty-four adults are members of our county's Fair Exhibit Committee. At the fairs when a decision needs to be made a minimum of three people from the committee can be called together to resolve conflict that requires immediate attention. A youth has been part of the majority of on-site decisions.
• The Portage County 4-H program engages youth in leadership and shared governance roles through the Market Animal Committee, Fair Exhibit Committee and Food Stand Committee. For example, the Market Animal committee has 6 youth and 13 adults with equal votes and youth help to teach and facilitate the educational program.

Richland County

• The Richland  County 4-H Leaders’ Association has included youth on the Executive Board for nearly 10 years and in 2009 changed bylaws to allow youth equal status and to serve as officers, with the exception of the treasurer position. Seven youth were elected to the board and one was elected vice president for 2010.

Rock County

• A Strategic Planning Committee, made up of youth from each high school in Rock County is studying the duties, responsibilities and structure of the Rock County Board and its working committees to make a recommendation for involving youth in decision-making.

Rusk County

• The Rusk County 4-H Small Animal Committee invited youth to the table for input on the small animal program and at the end of the year voted to have youth as voting members with a voice.

Sawyer County

• Three youth attend the annual Superior Days visit with legislators in Madison. They participate in the preparation meetings to identify areas of focus and share youth perspectives on what state government needs to hear.

Shawano County

• The Shawano County 4-H Executive Board is comprised of 50% youth, 50% adults. Youth have equal voting rights as adults. The Executive Board develops policy proposals, which are then voted upon by the entire membership of Shawano County 4-H Leaders, Inc. Serving on the Executive Board provides youth with ample decision - making and leadership development opportunities.

Sheboygan County

• The Executive Board has strong youth representation on their board and serving on one of their management committees. When planning and implementing new programs, youth input is sought initially and throughout the entire process.

Taylor County

• Three youth were recruited as full voting members on the Taylor County Fair Board. Those three youth also took their place at the fair to help with many of the fair board jobs and responsibilities.
• Four youth took their place as voting members on the Taylor County Federation of 4-H Executive Board of Directors.

Vernon County

• 4-H Leader Parent Federation has 10 youth representative positions, with full voting privileges on the board.
• Extension trains youth volunteers for the Teen Court program.

Vilas County

• Teen Court in Vilas County held 33 sessions in 2007. Four trained High School youth serve on the panel each month and create sanctions to hold their peers accountable. 17 offendors successfully completed their sanctions, including 141 hourse of community service, and none re-offended.

Washburn County

• Six youth representatives have been selected annually since 2004 to attend monthly county board meetings, participate in discussions with the adult supervisors, and cast an advisory vote.

Waukesha County

• Three youth serve on the 4-H Executive Board and 15 youth serve on the board of the Horse Association. They help with the decision-making and program planning in the 4-H program.

Waupaca County

• Youth on Boards includes contributions to decisions in many sectors: executive (youth appointed to 7 city council committees), county cross sectional coalitions (tobacco, nutrition and activity coalition), school (community service committee), 4-H (leaders board), non-profit (trails, triathlon, park foundation, community foundation). City council committees have a spot on their agenda for youth. Expanded space and equipment in library worth $25,000 and youth-initiated programs like a new jail library. Expanded space, equipment and programs at the recreation center for youth (a 3.5 million project).

• Waupaca County 4-H Leaders' Board currently includes two youth representatives. A bylaw change was approved in January to include all youth in grades 7 and above as voting members of the larger Leaders' Association, which could be about 150 members. The Expansion and Review sub-committee included three adults and two youth working in partnership. Youth also play active decision-making roles in camp and project committees.

• After 4-H and CNRED training in land-use planning at Waupaca High School, three young people are participating actively in each of  2 different township board committees and the county executive committee for the Comprehensive Planning Process. One young person is on a committee drafting a public survey and has worked to ensure that youth perspectives will be gathered.

• Teen Court was reestablished after a 2 year hiatus. The police liaison officer and Abert conducted training of 25 youth panel members. This officer has now held court sessions for three months.

Superior Days

• In 2005, forty-three youth delegation members participated in issue identification, lobbied alongside adults and were the chief lobbyists for two of the legislative issues.