As the gavel strikes the wooden table in the small gray white room, the 11 youth commissioners transfer their attention to the head of the table, where chair Jeremy Wang sits. The students debate what event they want to throw the coming year, each commissioner selling their own unique idea. Some of their options consist of a dance, laser tag, or a series of movie nights. As the meeting comes to a vote, it is the dance that presents itself as the winner.
The Saratoga Youth Commission was formed in 1969 with the goal of getting Saratoga’s youth more involved in the city. Today, that goal is recognized as the commission acts as a liaison between the young citizens of Saratoga and the City Council, reaching out to more of the city’s youth through engaging events than they have before.
The commission is composed of 11 middle and high schoolers who are residents of the city, each with a two-year term. The members are selected through a written application process, followed by a sit-down interview with the City Council. The commissioners meet to discuss and plan upcoming events on the second Tuesday night of every month and hold secondary meetings on the fourth Tuesday night of selected months.
The students from Saratoga High who are on the youth commission are freshman Maya Gupta, sophomore Mitali Shanbhag, and juniors Daniel Eem, Allison Lin, Nupur Maheshwari and Summer Smith.
“The Youth Commission has been a great way for me to expand my leadership into the community,” said commission chair Jeremy Wang, a senior at Monta Vista High School. “It has given me the opportunity to work with other youth who are as passionate about enhancing the Saratoga community as me.”
So far this year, the Youth Commission has attended and had booths at the Witchy Walk, the Christmas Tree Lighting, The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Lunar Festival and the Blossom Festival. At the events, the commission did face painting, gave away free hot chocolate and interacted with the kids who come by.
Ideas for events that the commission hosts come from both the commissioners and a gathering every other year of local youth commissions, called the YAC Attack, organized by the commissions in order to provide an opportunity for the groups to share their success and learn from each other. Commissions congregate at this event and hold information sessions for one another about events they have hosted, if they have been successful and how to organize them.
The commission has also coordinated its own events, such as Pizza and Politics, “Fly Me to the Moon,” and Walk-One-Week.
Pizza and Politics is a joint effort by the Saratoga Youth Commission and the Cupertino Teen Commission that occurs every other year; it is a political forum for teens, set in the Cupertino Community Center, where they listen and ask questions to local political candidates, such as the candidates for Saratoga Union School District Board and the State Assembly.
Last October’s Pizza and Politics event was centered on a debate between State Assembly candidate Chuck Paige and State Assembly candidate Evan Lo (who was unable to attend due to a prior commitment and was represented by one of his campaign members). The event was attended by over 100 students from local middle and high schools, many of whom received extra credit for their attendance and notes from the event. The debates provided a lot of insight to the students and introduced them to the political world if they were not familiar with it.
“It was a really enlightening experience learning about the candidates and their respective platforms as they pertain to crucial educational issues,” said junior Farbod Moghadam. “Seeing my seventh-grade science teacher Mrs. Germeraad as a political candidate was also entertaining, and of course there was pizza!”
Although this year was the first time the current Youth Commissioners helped put on the event, it turned out to be a success.
“It was difficult to organize since we didn’t know how it was supposed to turn out, but it ended up being really exciting,” Gupta said.
The Youth Commission also holds less educational events. On Jan. 24, the commission hosted a dance for senior citizens. The dance was themed “Fly Me to the Moon” with 1920s gold and black decorations and was held at Friendship Hall in San Jose. The Saratoga High Jazz Band provided the music for the event, and the Saratoga Photography Club took photographs of the couples during the event.
“It was great. [The Youth Commission] was very diligent in helping us setup and teardown and also paid us pretty well,” said Photography Club president junior Uday Singh. “Overall, it seemed like a very well-run operation.”
The Youth Commission is currently coordinating Walk-One-Week at the elementary schools in Saratoga. The event is meant to encourage students to walk or bike to school in the morning to reduce traffic and pollution.
The students will receive a sticker from a Youth Commission member for every day they participate. Every student who participates will receive a prize, and those who participate all five days will be entered in a raffle to win an iPod.
The satisfaction Youth Commission members get from their involvement in the community is immeasurable.
“The Youth Commission is a really great way to get involved in the city,” Gupta said. “I cannot imagine having gained this experience from any other group or activity.”