When Evanston Township High School junior Skylar Hoffman transferred between Evanston elementary schools in 5th grade, she noticed a gaping disparity. The lack of STEM resources at her previous school caused her to feel behind at her new school, which she described as a “culture shock.”
Now, as a high school student pursuing a career in science, Hoffman hopes to provide all Evanston youth with the STEM resources she never had. However, she said she lacked a platform and the support to pursue her project. So, when she heard about Evanston’s Youth Advisory Committee, she applied and joined in January of last year.
YAC was founded in 2021 by city staff in collaboration with Evanston Cradle to Career, a partnership of over 40 organizations committed to realizing a more equitable Evanston. The program aims to develop youth-oriented resources and encourage youth civic engagement.
“I really wanted a group of people that would help me spread awareness about things,” Hoffman said. “I think YAC is the perfect thing.”
The current committee has 10 members between the ages of 14 and 24
YAC Youth Advisor Nia Dillard was a member of the original committee before graduating high school in 2020. A few years later, Cradle to Career Executive Director Kimberly Holmes-Ross offered Nia the youth advisor position.
Dillard wanted to return to the committee to support young activists in carrying on the work she once did as a member. She called her work with the committee — facilitating meetings, organizing YAC’s events calendar and serving as a mentor — “rewarding.” Dillard shared that her favorite part of the job is showing the community how passionate the members are about making Evanston a better place.
“(She) really supports us in our growth,” said YAC member and ETHS senior Alexa Renteria. “She’s like an older sister.”
Dillard said she encourages students to put in at least 15 hours of work a week with YAC, for which they are compensated. Students fill this time by attending bi-weekly YAC meetings, community events and city meetings as well as volunteering with local organizations.
Members also plan events aimed at informing youth about local issues and engaging them in civic processes.
In March, ahead of April’s municipal elections, YAC hosted events to encourage Evanston residents to vote in both national and local elections. The committee held two candidate forums, one with Evanston/Skokie School District 65 school board candidates and the other with aldermanic 2nd and 3rd Ward candidates.
These forums provided opportunities for YAC members to engage directly with candidates and ask questions pertinent to youth, Dillard said.
“They asked some really hard and important questions,” she said. “A lot of those people, they were stumped, and they just could not believe that some high school kids were that passionate.”
YAC members said they hope to host another forum this year to follow up on questions they asked and actions candidates promised at the previous forum.
YAC’s past projects include working with Connections for the Homeless to organize a drop-in center with resources for the Evanston homeless population and collaborating with Bundled Blessings Diaper Bank to distribute diapers to families in need.
Before joining YAC, ETHS senior Nicole Saenz said she felt disconnected from the Evanston community physically and socially. Through YAC, Saenz has immersed herself within the community and now feels as though “Evanston is like my backyard,” she said.
“YAC is super helpful not only to get students civically engaged, but also to show the community, the city, even the world, that kids and students are knowledgeable enough to make decisions and make an impact on larger communities,” Saenz said.
Hoffman and Saenz said they also hope to continue working on providing Evanston youth with more STEM-oriented services through YAC. They are currently working to host STEM workshops for Evanston youth after school at Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center.
Saenz is one of eight ETHS seniors who will potentially vacate their seats after graduation in the spring. Hoffman, one of the younger members of YAC, said that while she feels sad that many graduating students may not be on the committee next year, she is excited to return as an older student and welcome the new cohort of changemakers.
Applications for next year’s cohort will open this spring.
“Most of the people in government, they’re seeing things from the adult perspective,” said Renteria. “[Youth] also have opinions about stuff that’s concerning for both us and our peers, and having a Youth Advisory Committee gives more students a voice.”
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