MILTON — After a large amount of public interest from Milton middle and high school students, the city has decided to extend the application deadline for the Milton Youth Council until the end of the month.
Assistant City Planner Amanda Rice said the city was pleased with the response they received from students interested in the council and decided to push back the deadline from the original date of Aug. 30 to Sept. 30 to give students more time to apply.
"The planning department decided to extend the application deadline to Sept. 30 so students are settled back into their back-to-school routine and we want to give them ample time to submit a complete application," Rice said. "We are excited about the upcoming year and look forward to meeting our new council."
The organization, according to Rice, is designed to give the youth of Milton the opportunity to make recommendations to City Council on issues related to youth interests as well as advocate for particular development projects on behalf of local youth.
Some of the projects Rice had in mind for the youth council included a community rain garden and pop up parks. She said the goal is that all projects the council would be involved in would have “lasting impacts” on the community. Rice said she also wanted the council to partake in statewide competitions, including a municipal youth council video competition.
“We want to develop their social skills and professional skills,” Rice said.
Rice said for those young people who might be interested in running for a public office in the future, this council would be a great opportunity. She said participants of the council will be given the opportunity to see what it is like to be in a public office and performing in the role of public service. While the council would be composed of a select number of individuals, Rice said all the community’s youth would be welcomed and encouraged to participate in the community projects.
Currently, the program will be limited to students in eighth to 12th grade who live in the city limits and attend public schools, including home schools. Rice said they are looking into some alternative school settings.
Rice said there is no GPA requirement. A completed application packet consisting of the online application form, unofficial transcript, and one letter of recommendation from a community leader or faculty/staff member from your school. If you have any questions please contact Amanda Rice at 850-686-6477 or arice@miltonfl.org.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton extends Youth Council deadline