After a 2-year hiatus, the Mayor’s Youth Partnership program is relaunching. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter announced plans to relaunch the initiative Thursday.

The Mayor’s Youth Partnership provides Lake Charles students, grades 8 through 12, an opportunity to participate in local government processes.

Hunter explained that students will act as “advisors to the mayor and his administration on issues affecting youth in the community” for the year that they are enrolled in the program.

During their time in the program, students will serve on committees that will focus on topics such as advocacy and outreach, minority affairs and community involvement.

“We want to know ‘what do young men and women think about this community, and how can it be a better place?’” he explained.

For Hunter, it is imperative that young people understand the functionality of local government. “We need youth to understand that the government is not just Washington D.C. or Baton Rouge,” he said. “It’s also local.”

“We watch a lot of national media, but we probably don’t get as involved locally as we should. So, this is an attempt to… encourage them to remember that they have a voice and that they can get involved in the city, make a difference in the city.”

Katie Harrington, City of Lake Charles Public Information Officer and Youth Partnership Program Facilitator, stated that the bonds that the participants build with each other are precious.

“The kids from all the different schools sit around the table and build relationships with each other and see beyond the wall of their campuses,” she said. “They build friendships across the city and that’s a unique thing for them.”

Hunter said, “When we get people around the table who perhaps go to different schools or live in different areas of the city, it’s important to remind them that they have so much more in common than they have that separates them.”

The last time this program was active was in 2019. “This is something that, unfortunately, went a bit dormant due to COVID-19 and some of the natural disasters we’ve been through over the last couple of years,” said Hunter. “The fact that we’re relaunching means we are getting a little bit back to normal.”

He believes that this year’s program is going to be memorable. “I think for some of the youth that participate in this relaunch, it is going to be one of the more memorable Mayor’s Youth Partnerships that we’ve ever had,” he said.

He attributes this to the immense amount of topics and community involvement opportunities that are available post-COVID and natural disasters. “They’re even heavier and more significant than they were pre-COVID, because there is that layer of natural disaster recovery that we simply didn’t have pre-COVID,” he stated. “I think this is going to be a really special class coming up.”

One change that will make this year’s partnership special is the chance for members aged 17 and above to have “gainful employment.” Hunter stated that a majority of the employment will be in the recreation department. Participants will have the opportunity to do work at city events and functions that are spearheaded by the recreation department, as well as at some Lake Charles parks.

Participants will attend monthly meetings, which usually take place on the third Thursday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. In addition to these meetings, students will attend events such as the member orientation and retreat, the “Small City Experience,” the “Shed the Bias” event  and the Mayor’s roundtable.

Potential participants must live within Lake Charles’ city limits and must be enrolled in a Lake Charles public, private, or charter school. Students are required to have a GPA of 3.0 or above and a clean disciplinary record. Attendance of monthly meetings and events are required. 16 to 20 students will be selected for the partnership.

To apply, prospective candidates can download the application at www.cityoflakecharles.com/youthoutreach. The application can be emailed to Harrington at katie.harrington@cityoflc.us or sent by mail to Office of the Mayor, Attention: Katie Harrington, P.O. Box 900, Lake Charles, La. 70602-900.

Applications are due by Friday, Sept. 23. Zoom interviews will be conducted from Sept. 26-Sept. 29, and selection notifications will be sent out Sept. 30.