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2019-06-12 Youth Commission MinutesPage 1.1.1 Youth Commission Meeting Minutes 6/12/2019 Commission Members Present: Commission Members Absent: Alissa Berman Caroline Wills Caitlin Chung Treasurer Cole Albaugh Nathanael Perdomo Emily Sanger Owen Lee Secretary Kaleb Nichols Co -Chairman Stephany Janssen Chairman Noah Erickson Sydney Pearson Staff Present: MrSTIN I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Stephany Janssen called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm in the Red Twig Coffee Shop. II. DISCUSSION OF EDMONDS CURRENT EVENTS - The commission spent ten minutes looking through My Edmonds News to find relevant current events to discuss - Crowd at Edmonds Library For Housing Discussion - More than 200 people in plaza room - Many speakers and personal accounts - Shows it's an important issue to the community - Youth probably also care - Not a lot of support for people who are homeless, Edmonds growing more expensive - Hate Crime in Edmonds - Guy from Fiji with convenience store - "Financially and emotionally devastated" - Police are investigating - Shows there is still hate in the community, which the commission knows is important to address - Guy Opposing Connector Between Sunset Ave. and Brackett's Landing Page 1.1.2 Emergency pathway proposed Expensive Ugly Disrupt wildlife Should Dogs Be Allowed in Edmonds Parks? - Many rules considered about feeding wildlife, drug use, changing park hours, clarifying rules about allowance of motor vehicles - Update Responses to Oil Spills From Trains - Oil spills are extremely harmful - Want to update requirements to improve the ability to rescue/rehabilitate affected wildlife - Small trains are more likely to spill, want to prevent them from carrying crude oil Diversity Commission Doing Storytelling Project - Submit stories about how diversity makes the community stronger - Show diversity in the community - The commission could gather more youth opinions/stories about any issues that impact them and find ways to fix problems/spread stories For the Waterfront Connector, Inaccuracies were Found - The city doesn't have enough money to build the connector if the city doesn't get federal money What It Takes To Make Edmonds Beautiful - Flower baskets around Edmonds are pretty and distinctive - It takes a huge amount of volunteer time III. COMMISSION STATEMENTS DISCUSSION Statements: - Are based in fact - Don't express political opinions - Talk about Commission as a whole Statements: "The Edmonds Youth Commission wishes to speak on one of the most important issues in our city today: the conservation of the Edmonds City Marsh. The Edmonds Marsh is an important watershed for insect life, birds, marsh -dwelling flora, and salmon, which are not only iconic in our area but important for the conservation of, in particular, orca populations. In response to recent developments, the Youth Commission would like to express its agreement with the budget proposed by the City Council. The budget proposed by the Council matches the priorities of Edmonds youth, who consider the Puget Sound of utmost importance. The Youth Commission's work plan will focus further on the marsh and Puget Sound in the future, and we urge our youth to assist in Page 1.1.3 events relating to the conservation of the marsh. By working together as the youth, we can strengthen our voice to make a difference in our community." "The Edmonds Youth Commission stands for the youth and advocates for their success. Therefore, it is our responsibility to speak about the lack of affordable housing in Edmonds and the detrimental effect that has on the youth of Edmonds. Countless studies have demonstrated the correlation between students' success in school and later in life with a stable housing situation. The struggles in Edmonds with affordable housing impact families and youth. As a commission we believe that the City of Edmonds should take steps to provide affordable housing to all in order to benefit the youth." "The Edmonds Youth Commission would like to remind all that the Edmonds Arts Festival is this coming weekend, starting Friday, June 14, and ending Sunday, June 16. It is a great way to get involved in the arts of the community and a way for youth to express themselves and even potentially connect with people of other generations." "The Edmonds youth commission believes that the Edmonds bridge connector would be an expensive building that would take away from natural wildlife in the area and obstruct views of the ocean from above. Construction would take a relatively long time to build and cause damage to nearby trees and plants." "The Edmonds Youth Commission wishes to express great gratitude to the class of 2019. Most graduates have lived in Edmonds for their 18 years of life. We congratulate the class of 2019 and remind them that their last day of school is Thursday, June 13th. The Edmonds School District is reminding students that they can buy back their Chromebooks for $20! The Edmonds School District point in this is to promote the senior's futures. The Youth Commission supports this action of the Edmonds School District because it helps lower the cost and stress for lower -income students that struggle with money. Since most college students need a computer for college. This is a low-cost solution to many Edmonds School District low-income students going into high school." IV. QUARTERLY YOUTH FORUM TOPICS - Issues: - Mental Illness (including social anxiety); Alissa Berman - Unhealthy School Environment - Depression - Social Anxiety - Lack of Support in Schools - De -stigmatizing Mental Illness - Non -judgemental discussions in school - More support from counselors and teachers Page 1.1.4 Sexual Harassment; Caitlin Chung - Addressing and Being Aware of Sexual Harassment in Schools and Community - Being Aware of Signs of Sexual Harassment - Resources and Support Homelessness; Owen Lee - Comparing Seattle to Other Cities - Youth Homelessness - Why Homelessness is on the Rise - What People Are Doing General Puget Sound Environment (Orcas, Marsh, etc.) - Affordable Housing Violence Prevention Diversifying Edmonds and schools Social Media; Sydney Pearson - Addiction in Regards to Phones - Cyberbullying - Effects on Mental Health - Culture/Pressures - Using Social Media for Good Transportation Lines? Hate (Crime) in Edmonds; Nathanael Perdomo - Washington State Hate Crime Laws and Guidelines - How to Define Hate Crime - How to Target Hate Crime Without Infringing On Free Speech - Why Hate Crime Is a Touchy Subject - Plans to Reduce Hate Crime V. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Stephany Janssen adjourned the meeting at 7:28 pm.