Malden Youth Council hosts inaugural summit in City Council Chamber

On Wednesday, April 23, the Malden Youth Council (MYC) hosted their inaugural summit in the City Council Chamber. As it is the first youth council of its kind, the members saw this event as a prime opportunity to showcase their achievements and inform other local youths about how to apply for membership in the coming year.

The summit began with a gallery walk that traced the history and development of the Youth Council, setting the stage for the young members to take their seats at the council dais. They conducted their own meeting, following procedures similar to those used by the City Council. MYC President Ollie Dodge led the session with technical support from Sophie Tran. The members introduced themselves and shared insights about their application process and interviews with city councillors, commonly expressing a mix of nerves and pride.

Following introductions, members took turns presenting key information about the council. Ollie Dodge discussed the mission and purpose of the MYC, explaining, “The Malden Youth Council (MYC) aims to amplify youth voices and boost civic engagement among young people. The MYC collaborates closely with other youth groups, schools, elected officials, and city government within Malden.”

Devyn DiMarco outlined the governance structure of the MYC as a public body, and Sophie Tran and Giuliannah Dormevil detailed membership requirements. Applicants must be between 14 and 19 years old and attend one of Malden’s high schools — a conscious effort to represent all schools in the city.

Sophie emphasized the importance of the time commitment, acknowledging the challenge of balancing meetings with extracurricular activities. “Meetings generally occur once a month but may increase to twice monthly during event planning,” she noted.

MYC Clerk Sarah Job explained how meetings are organized and how agendas and minutes are made available on the city’s website. The formal segment concluded with Kidus Tsige highlighting the council’s accomplishments to date and outlining their future goals.

For questions, email kc*********@**********en.org