Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)
In 2005, the Cuyahoga County Family and Children First Council and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health began the youth led Cuyahoga County Youth Advisory Committee as a component of the Wellness program. The objectives of the Youth Advisory Committee are to provide youth with opportunities to discuss issues important to them, solicit opinions of peers, serve as youth representatives, and promote youth development. Through participation on Youth Advisory Committee young people work in partnership with adults to become leaders on issues that matter to them and develop skills that will be useful for the rest of their lives.
The Cuyahoga County Youth Advisory Committee is divided into north, south, and central regions.
The north region has been identified to include the following municipalities: Bay Village, Westlake, North Olmsted, Rocky River, Fairview Park, Lakewood, Linndale, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Newburgh Heights, Highland Hills, Orange, Woodmere, Pepper Pike, Hunting Valley, Beachwood, Shaker Heights**, Gates Mills, Mayfield Heights, Lyndhurst, University Heights, Cleveland Heights, Mayfield, Highland Heights, South Euclid, East Cleveland, Richmond Heights, Bratenahl and Euclid.
The south region has been identified to include the following municipalities: Olmsted Township, Olmsted Falls, Berea, Brookpark, Middleburg Heights, Strongsville, North Royalton, Parma Heights, Parma**, Seven Hills, Broadview Heights, Brecksville, Independence, Valley View, Walton Hills, Oakwood, Glen Willow, Solon, Bentleyville, Garfield Heights, Maple Heights, North Randall, Warrensville Heights, Bedford Heights, Bedford, Moreland Hills, Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Falls Township.
The central region is the City of Cleveland**.
**Cudell, Broadway, West Park, Central, Mt. Pleasant, Central, MyCom Pilot Communities
The Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) recently completed and won an RFP process to be the Youth Advisory Committee vendor. OSUE will be responsible for recruiting and training youth to participant on regional teams and attend subcommittee meetings to provide the youth perspective.
Begin 2009, general meetings will be held once a month. Meetings will be scheduled for the year for the following year. Meetings are held at least once a month with each region and joint meetings when needed. The Youth Advisory Committee members also plan an annual Youth Forum where local politicians are invited to interact with youth and listen to their concerns.
For more information please contact Marie Barni at (216) 429-8200
Youth are encouraged to participate in the region they reside. However, youth are not turned away from any Youth Advisory Committee function based on their residence. Youth in Shaker Heights, Parma, Cudell, Broadway, West Park, Central, Mt. Pleasant, Central should participant in the MyCom Youth Engagement process. For more information regarding membership in those neighborhoods, please contact Partnership for A Safer Cleveland at (216) 523-1128.
For more information regarding all other communities, please contact:
The Family and Children First Council
1801 St. Clair Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
(216) 698-2875
Or
The Ohio State University Extension
9127 Miles Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44105
Phone: (216) 429-8200
FAX: (216) 429-3146