Introduction
Last year, Oregon passed Senate Bill 1552, which mandates the creation of a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) under the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to ensure that the diverse experiences and needs of Oregon's youth are reflected in decision-making processes. Once established, the Youth Advisory Council will be responsible for the following*:
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Setting Goals and Measuring Success - Develop clear goals for youth leadership in policy-making and set success criteria, while assessing and adjusting decision-making processes, work plans, and roles.
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Reviewing Existing Programs - Review current youth leadership programs and suggest improvements for youth accountability at state and local levels, with a focus on evaluation and enhancement.
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Connecting with Youth Leaders - Engage with youth leaders, particularly from diverse communities, and explore leadership networks to identify best practices.
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Assisting with Surveys - Assist in reviewing and improving surveys to ensure accurate representation of youth perspectives.
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Improving Reporting Processes for Bias Incidents - Evaluate and recommend improvements for how youth report bias incidents or hate crimes, ensuring better support for affected youth.
*These activities have been summarized from their original text in Senate Bill 1552 to improve access and understanding.
In addition to a Youth Advisory Council, Senate Bill 1552 called for ODE to assemble a Work Group (WG), a youth-led task force responsible for designing the YAC. This group is working closely with the Youth Advisory Council Coordinator and key stakeholders within the agency to lay the foundation for the Youth Advisory Council. This group represents young people from across the state united by a common desire to elevate youth voice to lawmakers and education leaders.
2025 Meetings
Contact
For questions,
please contact Amy Hodge, Youth Advisory Council Coordinator.