Mayor’s Youth Council Is Giving a Voice to Sioux Falls Teens

Sometimes it's easier to be aware of the unfortunate situations that occur within the teenage community rather than the admirable ones. That is fairly predictable because it is the high-profile errors and misdeeds which make local newscasts.

However, there are more teens who care about friends, family, their community and go about the business of living their lives, quietly, nobly, without recognition or making headlines.

That is about to change for the young people who have recently become part of Mayor Paul TenHaken's Youth Council.

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According to Jodi Schwan from Pigeon605, the Youth Council was -

 launched this school year by Mayor Paul TenHaken as a way to give students an opportunity to share input on community issues, learn about city government and develop leadership skills through a coordinated community project

Morgan Whiting, who is a senior at Jefferson High School here in Sioux Falls, and the chair for the group said:

It’s really cool to be able to sit with a bunch of people I may not have met because we come from different schools and backgrounds and come to an agreement on what we think needs to change and do something about it.

The issue the Youth Council has turned its focus to is mental health. First of all, want to remove the stigma associated with mental illness, then secondly let community members know about all the resources where they can get help.

To that end, they are planning an educational and resource fair for this spring and will have more details soon.

To stay on top of what's happening in Sioux Falls get your own messenger pigeon at Pigeon605.

Source: pigeon605