To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Kristin Read, Assistant Town Manager
Title
Discussion/Direction: Potential Teen/Youth Council
Body
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Executive Summary
Town Council at its May 21 meeting directed staff to look into putting together a Teen/Youth Council that would bring updates to Town Council and help get youth more involved in Castle Rock. Staff has completed some research and wishes to provide Council with information so Council can determine whether to move forward with this concept at this time.
Discussion
Teen/youth groups in other jurisdictions
A few jurisdictions within Douglas County - including the County itself, the City of Lone Tree and the Town of Parker - have youth commissions. So do several other Front Range municipalities, including Englewood, Northglenn and Superior, per a recent Colorado Municipal League listserv discussion on the topic.
For Douglas County, the Youth Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Board of Commissioners on matters pertaining to the County’s youth and teen population. Youth Commission members are asked how best to promote information on topics such as smoking cessation, youth suicide prevention, mental health help, etc. The webpage for the Youth Commission lists 25 members.
Lone Tree’s Youth Commission has a role similar to the County’s. Additionally, that group works on an annual project and annually awards an Outstanding Youth of Lone Tree award. The Commission there is comprised of five to nine eighth to 12th graders and meets twice per month. It has an annual budget of $5,000.
Parker’s Youth Commission’s role is similar, as well. That group implements social, educational, public safety, cultural, recreational, service and leadership activities for youth, as well as creates recognition programs for them. Parker’s Commission is comprised of nine ninth to 12th graders and meets once per month. The 2024 budget for the group is $8,500.
Teen/youth groups the Town offers
While the Town does not have a youth commission, it does have a Teen Advisory Group, which helps Castle Rock teens play an active role in planning and carrying out Parks and Recreation activities for the community’s youth. The group meets monthly, is for youth in grades seven through 12 and had 12 members for the school year that ended in May. The program has a part-time staff member dedicated to its coordination, which costs about $4,000 annually, but has no dedicated budget otherwise.
In addition to TAG, the Town offers several other programs for youth:
• Teen Court, which provides youth an opportunity to get involved in criminal justice, serve their peers, and grow in their communication, leadership and critical thinking skills. The program presently has about 20 volunteers and has a 2024 budget of $4,800. One of the Town’s contracted prosecutors staffs this program at a cost of about $18,000 annually.
• Fire Explorer, which provides participants ages 14 to 20 with direction, encourages youth to go beyond high school education, teaches leadership skills, and forms new friendships. The program currently has 19 members and has an annual budget of $5,000. A member of the Fire Department coordinates this program.
• Police Explorer, in which 13- to 20-year-olds assist the Police Department by working Town events and community service projects. The program currently has 12 members and has a 2024 budget of $15,000. Police officers serve as advisors to this program.
• Youth Police Academy, an educational and leadership-building experience for Castle Rock middle and high school students. The program serves about 60 youth annually and does not have a dedicated budget. School resource officers oversee this program.
In all, the Town’s five existing teen programs currently serve roughly 125 youth in the community and represent a Town investment of roughly $50,000 annually. Additionally, the Town invests $19,800 annually toward the Douglas County Youth Initiative, which coordinates local youth-serving efforts and assesses the needs of the youngest residents by envisioning a community in which youth are involved, valued, productive, protected and healthy.
Potential Teen/Youth Council staffing/timing
If Council wishes to add another youth/teen group within the Town organization, staff recommends exploring the option of placing the responsibility with the TAG Coordinator. That position involves about 15 hours of work per month, so it likely has the best available capacity to take on another teen/youth program. Additional information from TAG staff about the strengths and challenges of that group are included in Attachment A.
With Council direction to move forward with a new group, staff could explore that staffing possibility and also begin developing bylaws and other organizational items for the group, with a goal of bringing those back to Council’s August meeting so applications could begin being accepted shortly after school resumes this fall.
If the TAG Coordinator is unable to staff another group, staff would recommend hiring another similar position to coordinate the Teen/Youth Council, should Council decide to pursue that concept. That would likely delay the timing of getting the new group up and running by at least a couple months.
Budget Impact
The anticipated annual cost of adding another youth/teen group is up to $12,000. Up to a third of that cost would be to compensate the coordinator, with the remainder to be used by the youth to carry out the program, based upon the program budgets in neighboring communities.
Potential Motion
“I move to direct staff to amend the 2024 Budget to include related expenses to establish a Youth Commission this year.”
Attachment
Attachment A: TAG Overview