The purpose of the Dane County Youth Governance Program is to offer greater opportunities for youth leadership development and youth empowerment in Dane County through direct participation in county government decision-making; to provide real-life learning opportunities for youth in the functioning of local government; and to bring a direct youth voice to community issues and concerns while fostering the development of confident, capable and independent leaders for the next generation.
Program Structure
Youth will serve on County Board Committees for a one year term running from June 1st through May 31st. Program applicants may reapply for an additional term. Eligible youth include students in grades 9-12 who are Dane County residents. Youth members (parents, guardians) may be reimbursed at current county mileage reimbursement rates for attending meetings to encourage youth participation throughout Dane County.
Youth members will have a non-binding advisory vote on all County Board standing committees, but will be given the same opportunities for committee participation and involvement as elected county supervisors.
There will be 2-3 youth representatives per standing committee. Committees currently include:
Personnel & Finance
Health & Human Needs
Public Protection & Judiciary
Public Works & Transportation
Environment, Agriculture & Natural Resources
Zoning & Land Regulation
Program Expectations
Youth are expected to attend all meetings of the committee to which they have been appointed. If unable to attend, they must contact the committee chair, committee staff, and YGP facilitator. In addition to their committee meetings, youth will attend quarterly YGP meetings, which will serve as a mechanism to support youth participants, offer feedback on their experiences, and suggest program changes while teaching youth leadership, civic engagement, and other important professional skills. The total time commitment will be about 8-10 hours per month. Youth must attend at least 75% of their total number of committee and YGP meetings and have less than 3 absences without notice in order to stay in good standing.
Selection Process
Selection begins via a nomination process. Nomination forms will be sent and made available to every public and private high school in Dane County and to support organizations serving home-schooled youth. Nominations can be made by a principal, teacher, guidance counselor, school faculty member, or a parent or other adult participant in the home-schooling experience. Nominations for the 2017 cohort are due to Dane County UW-Extension staff by Friday, February 10th.
Youth who are nominated will receive an application from Dane County, either electronically or by mail. The application will consist of basic information and short-answer questions regarding their objectives for participating in the Youth Governance Program. The application will include a written recommendation from an adult involved with the youth (parent, teacher, guidance counselor, etc).
Dane County UW-Extension staff will conduct an initial screening of the applications. The Dane County Extension Committee will schedule and conduct brief interviews of the screened applicants, and make final recommendations. The Extension committee will forward the names of the candidates to the County Board Chair for official appointment. Youth members will be notified of their appointment in April, and begin orientation and training for the program in May.
Other Program Components
At the end of the one-year term, each representative will give a brief presentation on the experience, including learning and personal growth outcomes. Presentations may be individualized for each youth according to interests, talents, and skills.
For more in-depth information about YGP, you can download the YGP Handbook at http://fyi.uwex.edu/youthgovernanceprogram/about-ygp/.
Thank you for your interest in the Dane County Youth Governance Program!
For more information, please contact:
Jess Guffey Calkins
4-H Youth Development Assistant
Dane County UW-Extension
608-224-3712
Calkins.jessica@countyofdane.com