Youth Council applications available for Oklahoma City high school students

(March 2, 2006) – Applications for the 2006-2007 Youth Council of Oklahoma City are now available from in the Oklahoma City Council office at City Hall, 200 North Walker, or from the Youth Leadership Exchange, 210 Park Avenue, Suite 270. They are also available here and from the Leadership Oklahoma City website, www.lokc.org

The program, offered and funded by the City of Oklahoma City, is administered through Youth Leadership Exchange, a program of Leadership Oklahoma City. This program is completely free to students, their parents and their schools.

The Mayor and Council appoint two students from each of the city’s eight wards and two at-large representatives to work with the Mayor and members of the City Council with the purpose of learning about the functions, operations, challenges and opportunities of our city. Youth councilors are asked to serve as liaisons between the city, their peers and their wards. They are also expected to be fact-finders, determining where the youth of Oklahoma City stand on issues addressed by the city council.

The program includes nine class-day sessions, usually on Wednesdays, an Opening Retreat, a Closing Celebration, as well as a variety of optional volunteer opportunities.

To be eligible for Youth Council, students must be rising juniors or seniors in high school with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and residents of an Oklahoma City ward.

Applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation and are due in the Leadership Oklahoma City offices on Friday, March 24, 2006.

For more information, call City Hall, 297-3884 or Youth Leadership Exchange, 236-1177.