In 2014, eighteen teens were appointed to the Youth Advisory Council for the City of Bainbridge Island. A Police Department Youth Advisory Council was also formed with three students. Neither functions today.

Arlington, Tacoma, Mill Creek, College Place, Everett, and Wapato are just some of Washington’s cities with a Youth Advisory Commission, board, or council. There are many more examples across the U.S.

If you're not from or on Bainbridge Island and wondering why your support matters, young people are commonly referred to as “leaders of tomorrow,” but we are important intergenerational partners today engaged in youth-led solutions and organizations. Listening to and incorporating our insights benefit our community. Articulating our needs, concerns, and ideas on issues and decisions that promote a positive, healthy and safe environment for all provides an important voice at the table.

We've been told the City has a lot of other things to do. We understand how full their plates are. This is why there’s no better time than now to reinstate a Youth Advisory Commission as important decisions and policies are being made. Doing so also inspires youth in our community to take interest in civics, and to assist the City in re-establishing this body and its framework. The prior existence of our Youth Council, municipal code templates, and current process for reviewing and appointing members means we can ramp up without reinventing the wheel.

There is an Opinion in the Bainbridge Review entitled "Kitsap Students Demand Equity from Schools". One line really stood out for us: "It is time for you to heed students’ calls for meaningful action. Do not hear our words, just to thank us for them, to tell us to put them into a college application letter, and to then move on without making change".

The above summarizes how often youth leaders feel dismissed or patronized when we engage and want to improve our communities. Please join us in urging the City of Bainbridge Island, and even your city, to act now.

Thank you for your support!