By Anne Levin

Giving young people a platform to express their ideas about policies, procedures, and services is the goal of youth advisory boards.

Among them are the Princeton Youth Advisory Committee, which keeps the mayor and Council up to date on issues concerning young people; and the Young Adult Advisory Council, recently formed to advise leaders at Womanspace, the Mercer County nonprofit that aids victims of domestic and sexual violence.

“It’s about advising us on issues that are relevant to youth,” said Council President Leticia Fraga, who serves as liaison to the Princeton committee. “They are more aware than any of us on what is going on in their generation, and they can be very helpful.”

“It’s important for us to better connect with youth,” said Danielle Scollins, coordinator of prevention and community education for Womanspace. “We began this just out of wanting to reach youth in Mercer County in a deeper way. We want to continue that relationship and bring in more youth to advise us in preventing youth violence.”

Seven Mercer County teenagers are currently on the Womanspace council, and Scollins hopes to expand to about 15. “We have a really good mix of people right now, from all over Mercer County,” she said. “We have 15-year-olds from Princeton, West Windsor, and Trenton, and we have two students from The College of New Jersey. All are female right now, but we are open to anyone who is willing to join.”

The Princeton committee recently added four new members for the coming academic year: Anya Karande from Princeton Day School, Charlie Ross and Nico Maya from Princeton High School, and Anjali Monga from The Hun School. The group has four sophomores, four juniors, and four seniors. Members must be Princeton residents.

The Womanspace council, which formed last March, meets monthly. Members use their social media platforms and life experiences to spread awareness of the organization’s mission to those who might not be familiar with its services. Their first post, in April, was focused on Denim Day, in which people were
encouraged to wear denim to combat victim-blaming and educate others about sexual violence. May’s post was about Mental Health Awareness Month, and June’s was centered on Juneteenth.

“The first post was super-successful,” said Scollins. “It got more ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ than Womanspace has ever gotten.”

The group is currently hoping to secure funding through grants for possible conferences. “Our goal was to center and uplift young adult voices in our community,” Scollins said in a press release. “Our young adults who are already in the council care about our mission as much as we do. It’s important for us as providers to take a step back, provide the information, and see what they can do with it in a way that is more innovative than we could ever think of.”

Prospective candidates for the Princeton committee are interviewed by the mayor and Council liaison about what issues are important to them, and how they would go about solving them. “We look for strong skill sets, and try to make sure they’re going to be willing and able to work in a group setting,” Fraga said.

Members tend to be standouts in their schools. “But we have always felt it was important to give opportunities to others who might not have had that opportunity,” Fraga said. “So last year, we had someone who identified as having some developmental disabilities, and she was very soft-spoken and shy. But in her writing, she was very strong. We appointed her, and she has really blossomed. This year, we had someone who identified as having learning disabilities. We agreed to give him an opportunity as well.”

Surveys done by the Princeton group have helped Council in recent years with investigating policy about permit parking and mental health awareness. The group has subcommittees, which in recent months have included initiatives to work on promoting civic engagement and environmental issues.

“For them, it’s a really good experience that is going to help them going forward,” Fraga said. “They learn about Robert’s Rules of Order [a widely used manual of parliamentary procedure], how to run a meeting, and how to work together as a team. They are so committed, so driven. I’m only there when they need guidance. Overall, they set their own agendas and run their own meetings. It is one of my favorite committees.”

Princeton’s group is set for the coming school year. The Womanspace council is looking for more members. For more information, email Scollins at des@womanspace.org.