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2021-11-10 Youth Commission MinutesEdmonds Youth Commission - Minutes of 11/10/21 Meeting Commission Members Present: Chair Owen Lee Sydney Pearson Sam Yi Acting Secretary Brook Roberts Brooke Rinehimer Julie Andres Aaron Nateephaisan Staff Present: Jay Sandstrom, Youth Commission Coordinator Commissioners Absent: Audrey Lim Chelsea Beck Finn Paynich Mara Yenter Councilmembers Present: Laura Johnson Members of the Public: Will Chen Guest Speaker: Clark Weigman I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Owen Lee called the meeting to order at 6:03 PM. Sam read the land acknowledgment statement. II. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Chair Owen Lee made a motion to add an agenda item to elect an acting secretary; Brook seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Chair Owen Lee made a motion to approve the meeting's agenda; Brook seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. III. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 13, 2021 MEETING MINUTES Chair Owen Lee made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 27, 2021 meeting; Sam seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS Will Chen wanted to say "hi" to the Youth Commission and is excited for Clark Weigman's upcoming presentation and his work at the Civic Park. V. PRESENTATION BY CLARK WEIGMAN, CIVIC PARK ARTIST Mr. Weigman presented an overview of his previous work. The presentation is attached to the minutes. His website is artifacture.org. Sam: He noted that the piece honoring the Japanese families in the internment camps resonated with him. Sydney: She was wondering what Mr. Weigman's favorite piece that he did. o He recalled a water wall project that had to be removed from Key Arena/Climate Pledge Arena after a legal battle. It involved compositions, creating a CPU, as water and light patterns would change as people moved through it. It lasted 25 years, starting in 1990. Brooke: She was moved by how much he used input from the people around each site and took into account the environmental setting around the sites. o Mr. Weigman goes for combining political sensibility and expressing it aesthetically. Julie: Noted that he was an artistic genius and loves how he incorporates history, activism, and community in all of his pieces. She asked how many pieces he plans on putting into Civic Park. o Mr. Weigman stated that there were two prospective sites and that the city wants to have art with visibility, but it is hard to do with the architect. He is coming into the project late. He wants a light aspect and wants to create an experience for the viewer. o He wants to look for opportunities near the Skate Park and the wall next to it, and use that wall for projections, etc. Perhaps there could be a collaboration with the Youth Commission and the Boys and Girls Club? He is open to contact him about feedback. Brook: Thanks for the presentation and he's excited to see the final product. Aaron: Likes how he gets the community involved in the artwork. Wonders how long it takes for a project to be completed? o Some projects never end, like the project he did relating to homelessness. Other projects have been completed in a short timeframe (6 weeks), as determined by the funder of the work. The shorter projects are extreme, however, most of his transit projects have taken 4-7 years, most of which was spent on trying to get people to consensus. Owen: Appreciate him being here and enjoys how he combines the site and the community input. Mr. Weigman was curious if anybody was interested in the design fabrication process. Brooke noted that it sounded interesting. He also asked if there were communities that the Youth Commissioners represent that they would like to see involved and if there were any youth attractions that the commission would like to see. Lastly, is there anything about Civic Park that holds any specific meaning? Commissioners can email him. Brook suggested any exercise equipment being worked into the art design. Mr. Weigman responded noting that it has already been worked into other areas of the park, but he has been thinking about the large plaza and creating an experience of physical engagement (cognitive play, etc.) Owen noted that he used to go to the circus at the Civic Park and had very fond memories of that. Councilmember Johnson remembered that it was called the "Wenatchee Circus." Will Chen hoped that the project could encompass all communities of Edmonds (multi -cultural), despite being in the Downtown area. He offered his help, having worked with Chinese and Korean -Americans and serving as a Board Member for multiple multi -cultural organizations. Councilmember Johnson said that her son is a big skateboarder and that there is much excitement from that community. She will go through Shannon about appropriate contacts to send to Mr. Weigman. Jay noted that there will be sports courts at Civic Park and that a plan can be found here: https://plcdn4static.civiclive.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server 16494932/File/Government/Depar tments/Parks,%20Recreation%20and%2OCultural%2OServices/Planning%20&%2OPromects/Civic %20Center%2OMaster%20PIan/190402 City Council Civic Update 4.2.19.pdf. Brook raised a point of order, advising that no interim secretary was selected. Owen said that he remembered and that he took notes during the presentation. Jay can also provide a video of the meeting and that somebody will have the job at the end of this meeting, so it's best that someone gets started. Chair Owen Lee made a motion to elect himself as the interim secretary; Brook seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Chair Owen Lee made a motion to remove agenda items 7 and 10: Diversity Commission update and committee selection for new members; Brook seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. VI. LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS Jay has compiled a list of nominations. Owen was the only nominee for Chair and appreciates the supported leadership. Brook Roberts, Brooke Rinehimer, and Sydney were nominated for the position of Co -Chair. Brook wants to build off of last year's momentum and create a cohesive process for how items get passed through committees and sent to the entire commission. He wants to build connections with other commissions in the region and our city and create coalitions. He noted that his experience as the Student Representative on City Council can benefit the commission in terms of navigating the confusing world of city government. Sydney apologized for her Wad being off. She would love to be Co -Chair because she has served on the commission since its founding and knows how to make meetings efficient. She has served as President of multiple clubs at her school, is responsible and organized, and is good at communicating (sending emails for communicating with city members and guest speakers). She thinks we have good vague goals and wants to create concrete goals and looks forward to what we can do during her last year on the commission. Brooke knows that she joined the commission at the beginning of last year and saw the idea of having committees start from the ground up. She has ideas on how to get ideas running and as Co -Chair, she wants to create groundwork that can allow committees to succeed in future years. As a senior, she is interested in ensuring that younger commissioners have the same great experience on the commission. Sam asked how those who were absent from the meeting would vote. Owen advised that it is best that we get it done sooner than later. Brook mentioned that last year, nominations and intentions to run were sent via email and Kim sent out an email to everyone who ran for each position a sentence of why they're running. Commissioner voted through email. Jay agreed and will send an election email at the end of this meeting. Sam and Brook were nominated for the secretary position. Both rejected the nomination. Jay echoed that it is critical that someone steps up for the position as the meeting minutes are important for us to adhere to the OPMA. Councilmember Johnson suggested that the role could be shared between two people to decrease the workload. It is unclear whether the commission's ordinance would have to be updated to make that happen; this will be looked into. Jay reminded everyone that the work can be shared if need be and that someone needs to fulfill the role to avoid an unnecessary and unwanted appointment into the role. Brook wondered if it was possible to eliminate the secretary position and transfer the responsibilities to the Youth Commission Coordinator. The Diversity Commission does not have a secretary and city staff completes the minutes on their behalf. Jay preferred to keep the roles as they were to avoid making changes while Casey is on leave. The positions have been outlined and held by commissioners since the beginning of the commission, so keeping it as is would be best. Owen was secretary for the first few years of the commission and understands the difficulties. Brook has done them for the past year in a more detailed manner, with the online meetings and being able to re -watch the meeting. Both would be willing to help the new secretary with templates, advice with time management during meetings, etc. Taking quick notes is a great skill to have to put on your resume and Owen encourages people to sign up for it. It will also give you a role in the leadership group of the commission, as well. He'd be happy to send past minutes. A follow-up conversation about the role is welcomed if you are remotely interested. If nobody steps up, Jay will talk to Shannon and see what the course of action is to address the need of the position. Audrey, Julie, and Brooke either chose to run or were nominated for the Communications Manager role. Julie did not nominate herself, but she wants to run. She likes Instagram and knows her way around it, especially with creating informational graphics about it. Brooke didn't nominate herself, but would also be interested in it. She asked if she needs to pick a position to run for if she's being considered for two positions. The decision to run for both or one will be left up to her. Brooke withdrew her application to become the Co -Chair. o Julie can withdraw if Brooke wants the position more. o Since Audrey wasn't present, Communications Manager candidates will submit a sentence to Jay via email as to why they want to run, and that will be sent to the whole commission. Brook asked if the same should be done for other positions. Jay agreed, all candidates are encouraged to do so. o Tomorrow (Thursday) will be the last day to submit the sentence and voting will be due by Monday. As he wanted to discuss the Youth Commission dissolution comment, Chair Owen Lee made a motion to extend the meeting by 15 minutes to end at 7:45 PM; Brook seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. VII. GOOGLE DRIVE AND INSTAGRAM POST INTRO Owen introduced Canva as a tool to make Instagram posts for the commission and is working to curate a Google Drive folder that has all of the commission's current and previous materials (agendas, minutes, etc.) It will be helpful for upcoming years when the senior class graduates. He'll send out a sharing link via GroupMe later on. VIII. YOUTH COMMISSION DISSOLUTION COMMENT On November 4th, a citizen wrote the following email to the Edmonds City Council asking them to dissolve the Edmonds Youth Commission. "Dear Edmonds City Council, I'm writing this as persuasively as 1 can. I coached soccer in Edmonds for years and it's beautiful to see children you know grow up to be "yutes" (as Cousin Vinny would say). It's a different feeling to see students who do not have a complete faculty of politics (i.e. the ugliness, the tribalism) engaged with adults in protests and in divisive social media conversations. I've seen kids who 1 know well protesting [both Left and Right] wedge issues, and it's cringe -worthy and sad. I'm ashamed of myself when I see that. I don't know specifically why, but does everyone else feel that way? Edmonds had a Youth Commission Member say some things that half the town supported, but the other half of the town thought was hate speech. The youth got fired and a lot of politicized attention. The Mayor held a vigil of some kind to rebuke the kid. There were protests on the street corners over a youth's words. We've also seen a Youth Commission Member on the opposite side of the political spectrum lecturing adults (veterans, business owners, taxpayers) for attending a City Council Meeting and [rightly or wrongly] having an opinion not aligned with theirs. I hope at this time you can tell 1 am being vague. This is because adults cannot specifically engage minors on topics like these. Youth Commission Members (and other Edmonds students) are entering the fray. There are social media threads where youths are lap -dogging adults and engaging in political attacks on Neil Tibbott (for example) and Alicia Crank (for example). It is a major moral and legal liability to have unaccountable persons, who are also part of an official city charter, engaged in some of the things I think we've all seen. I've seen discussions around stacking the Youth Commission with kids of other political affinities. I'm not surprised to come across this idea. It is not right. Kids should be politically active. This is what Student Councils and elections for Class Presidents are for. We should actively foster politically active students in a sandbox -one designed for them, protected from the blowback that adults aren't [and shouldn't be] immune to. Students are radicalizing, and adults these days are oft too stupid to know not to co-opt that for their own devices. Please dissolve the Youth Commission tactfully." Owen noted that the references in the email were to the City Council's Student Representatives. The first one being, Zach Bauder, who, in 2020, made a comment at a city council meeting saying that the Black Lives Matter movement was a lie. His statement sparked controversy in and out of the city. Zach was not a member of the Youth Commission. Brook, the current Student Representative on the council, and a current youth commissioner noted that the email referred to him in the second reference (see "We've also seen a Youth Commission Member on the opposite side of the political spectrum lecturing adults (veterans, business owners, taxpayers) for attending a City Council Meeting and [rightly or wrongly] having an opinion not aligned with theirs.") Brook clarified the email, noting that it left out the critical context. He thinks the comment is referring to his final comment at two in -person council meetings held during the summer. The first of which had 50+ members of the public unmasked in an enclosed space to which he reminded everyone to wear a mask and get vaccinated and that COVID was still looming. The second of which was at a meeting where councilmembers were harassed and called names by members of the public to which he responded by saying that all comments are on record. There is a video recording of them, they are posted on the city website (with names), and that the hostile commenters were horrible examples for his generation. Owen summarized the email by saying that "we should not have the Youth Commission because youth should be kept out of politics" and noted that he disagreed with the statement. Jay gave a reminder from Shannon: "Actions taken outside of formal youth commission functions are still tied to the commission from the public's perspective. This is an important opportunity for the entire commission to gain a deeper understanding of Civics and politics and I think it is an important part of our journey." Jay also mentioned that the names of each commissioner are on the city website and that the commission has proven that it has sway in city decisions. It does tie commissioners to the youth commission when making comments outside of the commission and defining our roles and rules on the commission is important. The youth commission's role is to provide perspective, but when we get too deep in the weeds of trying to drive something, public perception can become something unintended. Owen gave a chance for commissioners to share their thoughts and perspective. Julie felt the message talked about political sides and that the youth commission hasn't made it clear which side we're on. We don't have to pick a side. D Brook said that if we've gotten this type of comment, it shows that we've done something and made an impact in our community. We have influence and we're going to get hate, no matter what we do. Additionally, the commenter constantly makes these types of comments in an effort to stay relevant. It's not worth wasting our time discussing comments like these. o Jay challenged Brook's perspective by saying that the commenter, as a member of the public, has weight to his opinion. Just because he made a comment that members of the group disagree with doesn't invalidate it. Commissioners should find topics that they think are going to meet the commission's goals and focus on those. Owen commented that the youth commission's purpose is to represent youth and youth issues. No issues that the commission has taken have gone against that. We have not received negative comments from youth and that this is an adult perspective, commenting on a commission that represents youth. However, he does agree that commissioners shouldn't be overly criticized, but ultimately youth are the future. Youth should continue to share their perspectives and the commission should continue to advise. He recommends that if you are not comfortable showing what you post to the public (being in the public eye), make your account private or don't post at all. Unless you're willing to back something up, then don't share it with the public. In his opinion, the comment is a good sign for the commission and that us receiving criticism shows that we're getting our opinions out there and that we should continue to make our voices heard. But, it does serve as a good reminder to everyone that we're in the public eye and everything we share can be interpreted as being on behalf of the youth commission, which is a big responsibility. Councilmember Johnson pointed out that there is a mixing of the Youth Commission and the Student Representative role, as the merits for dissolving the commission are focused on actions taken by the Student Representative. Brook agreed and followed up with Owen stating that our constituency is youth. We are the Youth Commission. While adults are the taxpayers funding the staffing for the commission, his opinion is that we should place a bigger emphasis on serving youth and putting more weight on youth feedback than from a community member. He acknowledged that the separation between positions is critical, as well. D Sam mentioned that he isn't as outspoken as many people are on social media, but suggested that if you're going to put something out there as a youth commissioner, you have to be ready to defend it and opposing perspectives to rebut your points. If you don't know what you're talking about, be careful about what you post. o Jay made it clear that it's easy for people to say that if a youth commissioner said or posted something, it's easy for the public to say that they were saying it on behalf of the entire commission. D Aaron noted that the email seemed more of a bashing than constructive criticism towards the commission. Brooke agreed that the youth commission tends to be more liberal, but in our area, the youth population that we represent also does tend to be more liberal. While we're not the perfect representation of the youth we represent (and never will be), we are a good representation. She would also go far to argue that selection is based not on political values or agendas, but on passion exhibited by applicants. Nobody on the commission is here for a political reason as we are not politicians. We don't have anything at stake in politics right now, as most of us can't vote, but those who can understand the importance. She would argue that the language in the email is not reflective of the commission at all but more of a misinterpretation of what she believes are Brook's tweets and final comments. While we read it in a way that Brook meant it, maybe this person did not? It could have been a purposeful misinterpretation, but anything can be misinterpreted, whether on purpose or not. Sydney was confused about stacking the youth commission with different political ideologies. o Jay thought it was the person's interpretation of their opinion on what they think the youth commission is trying to do and their formed narrative. They have used Brook's comments to misinterpret the commission as a whole. o Brook suggested the commenter was misguided. There is currently a divide on the council, however, councilmembers that lean in one direction or another do not know any political opinions of the applicants when they appoint new members. There's no way for a council member to see how an applicant leans politically during the application process. Brook moved to extend the meeting by 5 minutes to end at 7:50 PM; Chair Owen Lee seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. IX. FINAL COMMENTS Jay: Everyone provided great insight and he thinks that as we talk about our roles as a commission, he wants to see the conversation continue to happen regarding what we want to do and focus on as a commission. He's excited to be a part of it. Secondly, please check your city emails as that will be the primary method of communication. GroupMe is a less formal option that sends messages quicker to him. The next commission meeting will be on November 17th which Shannon will run. Please submit your leadership votes. If you are a candidate for a leadership position, please submit a short sentence about why you are running. D Owen: Would appreciate help in completing the minutes. Also, Mindy Woods (Human Services Program Manager & Diversity Commissioner) reached out to him about a Lunar New Year event she was looking to plan. He will also send out a Google Drive link to everyone and wants the juniors that will continue on the commission to pin it. And please vote for officers. o Councilmember Johnson noted that he is on vacation. Owen also said that he has college applications and upcoming tests. o Brook offered to do the minutes. Owen will reach out to him after the meeting. X. ADJOURNMENT Chair Owen Lee adjourned the meeting at 7:52 PM.