By Joey Freeman, LAYC President

Youth Council was proud to participate in a meeting with Mayor Villaraigosa regarding the city's budget on March 8, 2008. Representing the Youth Council and the youth of Los Angeles, President Joey Freeman, Vice President Nia Zaferis, and Youth Commissioner Michelle Segura dialogued with the Mayor about youth priorities and having those reflected in the budget to be released by the Mayor in April.

The meeting capped what had been Youth Council's involvement in the budget process thus far. Late last year, Youth Council members began a citywide campaign to encourage youth to log online and complete the Mayor's Budget Survey. Concurrently, Youth Council members participated in both Community Budget Day and Regional Budget Day, organized by the Office of the Mayor and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

During the meeting with the Mayor, Youth Council members addressed three critical issues. They spoke passionately about the recent upsurge in gang violence plaguing our communities, the need for more employment opportunities for youth, and the importance of protecting our neighborhoods' most treasured institutions, including parks, libraries, and youth centers in the midst of drastic budget cuts. Specifically, Youth Council asked the Mayor to issue an executive directive requiring all city departments to offer internships to youth and to hold youth-serving departments accountable for the programs they offer. All of the council's ideas and concerns were well received by the Mayor and his staff.

Simply put, youth issues are the city's issues. This meeting was historic as youth literally had a seat at the table and sent the message loud and clear that they deeply care about their quality of life. The Youth Council is proud of its role in making the city a better place and will never cease in its advocacy of youth citywide.