One of the most important functions of the Granville County Youth Leadership Council is to provide a voice for youth in the community. A facet of that involves serving on various boards in the county. Over the last few months, members of the Council have served on the library services board, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and Human Relations Committee. They have also attended various County Commissioner and School Board meetings. Members take the information they receive and discuss them at the monthly meetings. Civic engagement is critical to the next generation of leaders.

Council members conducted a survey in February at all of the High Schools in the county to gain an understanding of what needs youth have and what they find challenging. The overarching need that was derived from the responses was the need to address teen mental health. Council members began researching resources and planning projects to support their peers. They begin working on their mental health awareness campaign "Our Minds Matter" which focuses on helping to address the mental health needs of teens in the community. To kick off the campaign, the YLC set up a booth at the Culture Fest on May 13th to talk with the community about the mission of YLC and to share brochures that contain local mental health resources for teens. They lead a trivia game to share information, passed out stress balls, and enjoyed playing cornhole with many of the culture fest attendees. Members also had the opportunity to talk with Commissioners Jay and Hinman about their activities.

To learn more about the Granville County Youth Leadership Council, click here.

NC Cooperative Extension, Granville County is hiring a full-time Youth Programs Coordinator to coordinate our Restorative Justice Programs as well as a Youth Program Assistant. For more details about the positions, click here.