- This event has passed.
Local Youth Orgs to Host School Board Candidates’ Forum
October 22, 2018 @ 6:00 am PDT
The Santa Barbara Youth Council will join teen and parent representatives from Future Leaders of America and CAUSE to host a youth- and parent-focused forum for Santa Barbara School District candidates. The event, which is open to the public, will be held at the Louise Lowry Davis Center on Monday, October 22 from 6:00 – 8:00pm. As of this writing, seven of the eight candidates have agreed to attend. This is the only joint youth and parent forum being held this election. Parent advocate Olivia Carranza expressed the importance of parent involvement. “Parents need to see the value they hold within the school district,” said Carranza.
The forum will focus on issues and concerns related to current issues for students on campuses, especially as it relates to educational equality, school safety and music and art appreciation.
“Youth representatives from the Youth Council and Future Leaders of America pride ourselves on being youth leaders,” said Nathaniel Getachew, current chair of the Santa Barbara Youth Council. “Therefore, we think it is important to help inform our parents on whom they choose to be responsible for our well-being during most of the day.”
Following a meet and greet at 5:30pm, the forum will open with platform statements from the invited school district candidates. After which, youth representatives and a parent, will field questions, received from both high school students and parents, to the candidates. The event will be moderated by John Esteban Carlos, a Santa Barbara City College student and former Vice President of Future Leaders of America Master Achievers (FLAMA). If time allows, additional questions may be fielded from the audience, and the program will end with closing remarks from each candidate. The program will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
Event Details
Santa Barbara School District Candidates’ Forum on Youth Issues
Monday, October 22 from 6:00 – 8:00pm (with 5:30pm meet and greet)
Louise Lowry Davis Center
1232 De La Vina Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101
About the Santa Barbara Youth Council
Established in 1994, the Santa Barbara Youth Council is an advisory committee created to provide a voice for teens in the Santa Barbara area. The fifteen members of the Youth Council are all between the ages of 13 and 19, and each serves a two-year term as they work to advance youth issues, while gaining valuable experience in giving back to the community and participating in the public process.
In addition to organizing educational and community-minded events, the Youth Council encourages collaboration among the many local agencies and organizations with youth-oriented missions, promotes youth participation and interest in local issues, and has the ability to make recommendations to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Santa Barbara City Council on issues and policies affecting local youth and teens