Youth Volunteer Spotlight

The New Jersey Governor's Youth Advisory Council (YAC) serves as the statewide youth advisory body to Governor Christine Todd Whitman. The YAC's mission is to identify and prioritize urgent social problems that can be addressed by youth through volunteerism and community service, and to serve as a statewide advocate for youth service. The council was first appointed in September, 1996, and is an adjunct body of the Governor's Advisory Council on Volunteerism and Community Service.

The YAC is comprised of twenty-five young New Jersey residents who demonstrate outstanding community service and leadership experience. Only New Jersey residents who currently attend elementary school, secondary school, or college in-state are eligible. Members range in age from 12 to 22 years old, and are geographically, ethnically, and educationally diverse. Members are drawn from the twenty-one New Jersey counties, and represent the four streams of service: K-12, college, service corps, and community-based organizations. Members are appointed for a term of three years.

Each council member serves on one of four YAC sub-committees: education, environment, health, and public safety. Each sub-committee is responsible for identifying important social issues affecting young people, and for developing recommendations on how to best utilize youth service in addressing these issues. Each sub-committee selects a member to serve as chairperson for the year.

Staff from the Governor's Office of Volunteerism (GOV) works with YAC Members individually throughout the year, and brings the full council together for a retreat three times per year. The retreats serve as the primary vehicle to conduct training sessions and sub-committee meetings. The retreats also serve as the forum in which members collectively discuss and analyze policies and the policy-making process. Retreats are also used to plan projects and events in which the entire YAC will participate. The overall goals of the retreats are to provide the training, guidance, and support necessary for council members to:
· conduct themselves properly before the public as a representative of Governor Whitman and the Governor's Advisory Council on Volunteerism and Community Service on issues pertaining to youth and service;
· research, discuss, and prioritize pertinent issues affecting New Jersey, particularly young New Jerseyans, that can be addressed by volunteerism and community service;
· establish a youth volunteer council in their respective communities;
· empower and motivate youth in their communities to take social action and to volunteer;
· coordinate service projects in their respective communities;
· develop a mechanism to inform Governor Whitman, the Governor' Office of Volunteerism, and the Governor's Advisory Council on Volunteerism and Community Service of YAC's recommendations on how the state can best utilize youth service.