Description

Are you interested in government and want to learn how services, programs, and policies work and what you can do to affect outcomes in your community? Clayton County Youth Commissioners, Andy Pham, Sophia Nguyen, and Zahion Mikell join Clayton connected Podcast hostess, Communications Administrator Valerie L. Fuller, to share their experience, what they have learned, projects they have implemented and how you can be a positive influencer serving your community and school as a Youth Commissioner.

Transcript

Valerie Fuller:
You’re tuned in to the Clayton Connected Podcast in Clayton County, where the world lands and opportunities take off.  Welcome to the Clayton Connected podcast. I’m your hostess Valerie Fuller, Communications Administrator in the Office of Communications. Today in the Clayton Connected Podcast Studio. I have some of our Youth Commissioners. Let’s welcome them.

(Applause)

Valerie:
So I’m going to have each one of you introduce yourselves. I’m going to start right over here to my left.

Sophia Nguyen:
Hello, hello, hello everyone! My name is Sophia Nguyen, a senior at Elite Scholars Academy and also Youth Commission Historian.

Andy Pham:
Hello. My name is Andy Pham. I’m a senior at Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts, as well as the chair of the Clayton County Youth Commission.

Zahion Mikell:
Well, hey y’all!  My name is Zahion Mikell.  I am a freshman at Charles Drew High School, and I am a Clayton County Youth Commissioner.

Valerie:
So today, they’re here to talk about what exactly is the Youth Commission. So we’ll start with Sophia. What is the youth commission?

Sophia:
Yeah. So, the Youth Commission can be described and encapsulated in so many different roles and traits.  But I would describe us as change agents. So, we started with the Clayton County Board of Commissioners recognizing just the importance of obtaining the perspective of the Clayton County youth. So, we what we do is we identify concerns in our communities and we plan events to one, raise awareness and also mitigate these problems. And we also serve as a Junior Board for the Board of Commissioners.  And so now this leads to kind of like a big question I’m always asked like, ‘okay, this sounds excellent. This sounds great. What do you actually do in the Youth Commission?’ And while planning our own events and volunteering is like a major part of it, we also volunteer with the Commissioners and learn a lot about the county in different ways and how it functions, and different departments as well.

Valerie:
Exciting. You. You make me want to join the Youth Commission. Is there a is there a particular age limit, or target group for the Youth Commission?

Andy:
Well, so you have to be a rising ninth, 10th, 11th or 12th grader in a public, private charter or homeschool. And you also have to be a resident of Clayton County.

Valerie:
So, let’s talk about something that you all have learned while being in the Youth Commission, because each one of you are at different stages as a youth commissioner.  So, let’s start with, what your experience has been.

Sophia:
Yeah. Definitely for me, my experience, this is my second year in the Youth Commission, and it really is what you make of it for, definitely like this. The Youth Commission has given me the ability to have so many different opportunities, because when you are so involved in the county, it opens so many doors.  And I just learned the importance of having a community around civic engagement, because a lot of people view volunteerism as something that is mundane or boring. But when you are surrounded by like-minded peers, it becomes so much more exciting and engaging.

Valerie:
So much more to do as a Youth Commissioner, so Zahion. What about you?

Zahion:
Well, communication.  You know, when you go out, you need to know how to communicate with your peers and with the people above you. But not only that, it’s the it’s leadership. You take leadership, leadership skills with you to anywhere you go. You need to know how to lead, and you need to know how to follow that leader. That’s setting the examples and standards in place.

Valerie:
And so we appreciate each one of you, because each one of you are a positive example. As, a good role model, good citizenship. And so, we want to invite more like-minded people, into the Youth Commission. And so, Andy, what’s been your experience?

Andy:
Well, in my third year, I’ve been here for three years, and I remember when I first got to the Youth Commission I was so shy and timid and I would never think that I would become the chair. It’s just given me a place to come out of my shell and express how I feel about the community, giving me a place to have some positive impact in my life.  And especially within that eight week summer orientation that the Office of Youth Services does before your first year.  We get to go to every single department or a lot of departments E-911 for example.  And we just get to know what is going around in the county, like what these offices do. I wasn’t aware of a lot of these offices, so.

Valerie:
So let me ask you this. What’s been your most memorable experience as a Youth Commissioner so far?

Sophia:
Okay. Definitely it would be the different events.  Recently last year, we held forums for the District One and the different Commissioner elections, and I had the opportunity to moderate this panel discussion.  And it one, allowed me to just get involved within local government, which is something I never thought I would have been involved before, and also allowed me the opportunity to be featured in the news, which was definitely new for me and just the opportunity to be interviewed and just hear my voice printed out on paper and posted in the Clayton County News.  That was definitely one of my most memorable experiences.

Valerie:
Wonderful feedback on that. Zahion, what about you?

Zahion:
Well, it was the events we had throughout.  The Chairman 5K run and the different events as a youth commissioner, like the interest meetings, the different events we have for the Youth Commissioners. Also, for the community and our peers to get involved you know.  I think when you when you let the youth get involved, they start to learn and they know that the county is here for them.

Valerie:
So, this is your first year as a Youth Commissioner.  What would you tell other first timers who may be considering it or maybe haven’t thought about joining the Youth Commission at all?  What would you share with them?

Zahion:
Simply this.  When you enter a room, be yourself. Don’t matter where you go. Be yourself simply. But the first thing you want to do is, is get involved. With Youth Commission, it will open up a lot of rooms, open up your shell and you will, you will feel like they’re your cousins and brothers and first cousins you know.  I think that what I tell first timers or anyone who would love to join the Youth Commission, it’s a great opportunity to learn about yourself, but not only yourself. It would give you the opportunity to expel yourself to different opportunities. That’s here in Georgia, and we’re starting here in Clayton County. So I think that’s a great opportunity for them.

Valerie:
It is. We are in Clayton County where the world lands and opportunities take off. Andy, what’s been your most memorable experience?

Andy:
So, I really like what Sophia was talking about with the hosting and getting to know the candidates for our Commissioner elections. But I’m going to go on a different route. I remember when I was a little kid the magic of Christmas and just getting these gifts.  But as we know, there’s some kids in Clayton County that are unfortunate and, being able to participate and volunteer in the Latto’s, giving, giving for Christmas.  We did an event with Latto one year. And to see those kids, just their eyes light up when they saw one of the, you know, Latto is from Clayton County. So, she’s a big inspiration to these kids. It was just amazing. And for those, those families, the fathers and mothers that aren’t able to, you know, afford those gifts, it just meant, like, the world to them.  So that was one that really stuck in my heart, being able to give back and volunteer in that way.

Valerie:
How would you say you can be a change agent for your community? Serving as a youth commissioner?

Sophia:
Yeah, I would definitely say the Youth Commission really provides you an outlet to make change. A lot of times as youth, we can see a problem within our communities but not know how to tackle that problem.  And if we aren’t necessarily given the pathway or the resources or just the community to talk about these problems with, then it is difficult to tackle these problems. So I would say the Youth Commission, that gives you a way to really make plausible change and to engage your community in order to make this change. For instance, we have lots of events regarding mental health because it is a struggling problem within teens today.  And so we plan different events like mental health forums to the Love and Identity Summit that we had recently to just engage our community and to communicate to the youth different problems that we see within them and how they can cope with it.

Valerie:
What are some of the challenges that you as a youth commissioner or at just as, a young adult, young teen that you see in the community or in your schools that’s a challenge?

Andy:
No. For sure. Violence, especially in schools is a big thing that we had.  Even with the mandate, with the clear book bags, that was a big thing. So, coming up, we are planning a peace rally for and we’re trying to incorporate a lot of different Clayton County groups.  So, I want to encourage whoever’s listening to this to come out to our peace rally. It’s going to be coming up. The March the 22nd. So that’s going to be big.  And I believe that’s one way that we as Youth Commissioners create change and promote this peace in such a violent time.

Valerie:
And, finally, Zahion, what are some of the challenges, that you experience as a Youth Commissioner or that you see in the community or in the schools?

Zahion:
Well, I’m glad you asked. The most thing I really do see is mental health. Everyone battles mental health. And I think that that that should be looked at the most. As a Youth Commissioner and some of the challenges you faced as being a Youth Commissioner is people coming up to you or your peers coming up to you saying ‘well, can we make a change?  Can we do this?’  And it’s, it’s more of a we can do it, but what’s the solution to this problem?  What’s the solution to this issue? You know, the most, the most problems I do here is the school lunch. So yeah.

Valerie:
That school lunch boy, I remember school lunches. They were good. School lunches were good. We look forward to going to lunch.  You guys don’t look forward to going to lunch?

Sophia:
No, not really.

Valerie:
So I want to thank Miss Sophia and Mister Zahion and Mister Andy for joining me today, representing the Youth Commissioners for the office of Youth Services. On behalf of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, we thank you for your dedication. We thank you for your commitment. And so, in closing, let’s tell people how they can join.  What’s the process?

Andy:
Well, as I said before, let me just restate. You have to be a resident of Clayton County. You have to be a ninth, 10th, a rising ninth, 10th, 11th or 12th grader at any public, private charter or home school. And then you have to be willing to serve on Clayton County boards, committees appointed and you have to attend all meetings of these boards and committees.  And also you have to complete the Youth Commission applicant and candidacy process. And you can find that on the Office of Youth Services webpage. As well as complete the eight-week summer orientation, hosted by the Office of Youth Services. And these applications are open March 1st through March 31st.

Valerie:
I want to thank you, the Youth Commissioners, for coming out and joining us on the Clayton Connected podcast.  And I also want to thank, I think is very important; we don’t want to leave them out, is our office, Office of Youth Services Administrator Miss Ciara Dunn. She’s doing a tremendous job. And so, I know you guys love working with her because I’ve worked with her for several years. She’s absolutely wonderful, and we love the work that’s happening and seeing the results, in the Youth Commissioners, for the Office of Youth Services. So that wraps up our Clayton Connected podcast. We’ll see you back here next time.

(outro)

I’m your hostess Valerie Fuller. Thank you for listening to the Clayton Connected Podcast in Clayton County, Georgia, where the world lands and opportunities take off!