When young people get involved in their communities, positive change is possible.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about the youth-led events that will be held this Saturday, May 2 in Gonzales and Seaside. Both seek to support our younger population in many different ways, including their mental health, showcasing career opportunities and setting personal goals. 

The youth councils of Gonzales, Soledad and Greenfield, in collaboration with their cities, are hosting the third annual South County Youth Summit at the Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center in Gonzales from 9am-2pm. 

The focus of the event is to offer a perspective on what’s next after earning a high school diploma. That includes learning about career pathways for college or trade schools, as well as how to cook a nutritious meal or make a budget for themselves. 

“We hope that they gain knowledge and a guidebook to adulthood,” says Marilyn Ramirez Pena, a commissioner for the Soledad Youth Council.

The youth councils worked for several months putting together this event, from inviting speakers and resource vendors for the resource fair to arranging transportation for the teens. (School districts will provide transportation for students.)

In Seaside, teens, in collaboration with The Village Project, are leading the MindShift Youth Summit to address mental health with stories, community support and workshops. It will be held at the Oldemeyer Center from 8am-4pm on May 2.

The summit will have two phases: one focused on resilience, identity and skill development; the other focused on expression, connection and community visibility. The MindShift initiative relies on hearing directly from young people with strategies and ideas to address their needs.

In 2023, I wrote an article about the positive impacts of youth councils, from increasing engagement and sense of pride and belonging for younger residents. It also showed the efforts spearheaded by the Gonzales Youth Council, such as policy changes, recommendations to increase mental health services and advocating for a space for teens that opened in January.

Since then, Greenfield has consolidated its youth council and Salinas has developed its own. Several of them have worked on campaigns to improve street safety.

It’s encouraging to see the younger population in Monterey County working actively to motivate their peers to be more involved in their communities, and being more open about mental health.