Board of Commissioners

Calhoun County Youth Council

The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners established a Calhoun County Youth Council for the purpose of raising youth concerns in county government, educating students on the role of government, and representing the needs of young people to the County Board of Commissioners. The Youth Council will be responsible for issue forums, developing educational programs for area schools, and participating in community events.

Eligibility for Application

A. Any youth in Calhoun County may submit an application for the Council provided s/he meets the following requirements:

An individual between the ages of 16 and 19 years as of September 1 of the application year;
Resides in Calhoun County;
Completes an application for the program; and
Turns in a release form signed by a parent or legal guardian.

B. The Board of Commissioners may conduct interviews of applicants for the Youth Council.

Criteria for Appointment
A. In order to foster skill development, all Calhoun County Youth Council members will be required to attend the Youth on Board training program provided by the Volunteer Center of Battle Creek. The Board of Commissioners reserves the right to waive this requirement for any individual not able to participate in the training.

B. The Youth on Board training is a one-week class that will prepare Council members for the decision-making requirements of the Calhoun County Youth Council while fostering personal relationships and growth. The training will include instruction on board member responsibilities, parliamentary procedure, business etiquette, working with adults, empowerment, and fostering social change.

C. Expenses for the Youth on Board training will be covered by the Board of Commissioners and/or private sources.

Calhoun County Youth Council:
A. The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners shall create a 17 member body to be named the Calhoun County Youth Council. All seventeen members will be voting members of the Youth Council and will be appointed by the Board of Commissioners as follows:

12 Members. One individual will be appointed from each of the following:

Battle Creek Central High School	Marshall High School
Lakeview High School	Pennfield High School
Bellevue High School	Tekonsha High School
Harper Creek High School	Homer High School
Athens High School	Albion High School
Union City High School	Olivet High School

3 “At-large” members chosen from Calhoun County. In particular, the Commission shall look at appointing qualified applicants from the City of Springfield and MarLee. The Commission shall not appoint more than two individuals from any one school.

2 County Commissioners as appointed by the Board of Commissioners Chairperson.

B. At the first meeting of the Youth Council, a County Commissioner shall serve as Chair. At the second meeting, a majority of the members will elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, and a Secretary. County Commissioners may vote on the leadership positions, but may not serve in a leadership post.

C. All Council members, including County Commissioners, receive one vote.

D. Council members will serve alternating one and two year terms. During the first year, the terms will be determined by the Board of Commissioners and the preferences of the applicants.

E. Meetings will be held once a month with the ability of the Chair or a majority of the members to call special meetings as needed. Meetings may be held throughout Calhoun County, to allow each member to share their community with the Council, and/or in Marshall at the County Building.

F. The Board of Commissioners may appoint any eligible applicant to fill a vacant position.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

A. The Board of Commissioners may allocate up to $2,000.00 to cover materials and incidental expenses for the Calhoun County Youth Council as long as matching funds from private sources or raised funds are provided. Such funding must be used for the fulfillment of Youth Council activities and may be subject to Board approval.

B. As the Volunteer Center of Battle Creek will be providing an additional session of its Youth on Board training to accommodate the Youth Council members; a one-time cost will be needed to cover the training for all 17 youth members. Calhoun County Youth Council members will attend the training session with other youth from throughout Calhoun County. Outside sources are being sought to cover the cost of this training.

Calhoun County Youth Council Goals

The Calhoun County Youth Council will:

Make recommendations to the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners on issues, specifically the Calhoun County Juvenile Home’s needs and its relationship to the community;

Create a Calhoun County government workshop to present to county high schools and middle schools on the importance and functions of county government;

Work with local school officials to secure input from the student body through class forums, student governments/councils, or other processes;

Hold issue forums on topics chosen by the Council and of concern to youth in the county.

As available, the Commission will work with the AccessVision to televise meetings and forums to the greater Calhoun County community.

If you are interested in being a part of the Calhoun County Youth Council, please click on the links and fill out an Application, Website Consent to Publish form and Consent to Photograph form. All three forms have been made available for printing in Adobe Acrobat format. If your browser does not already have the Acrobat Reader plug-in that is required to view this document, click here to access a free copy of the software.

Calhoun County
315 West Green Street
Marshall, MI 49068
Phone: (269) 781-0700
Fax: (269) 781-0140

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