"Amplifying youth voice by opening connections

                           between young people and adults and   

                  laying the foundation for our future"

• The Forum Youth Council was recently formed from proactive young people looking to have their voices and opinions heard by their community.

• The Council currently has eight active members, consisting of junior high and high school students as well as recent graduates.

• This is the first Youth Council, and they will be paving the way for future groups.

• The Youth Council currently meets a few times each month. During their meetings, the group forms and works toward goals that will lead to the changes they would like to see in the community.

• Each member of the group works with one of the Forum Coalitions, which includes attending coalition meetings to act as a mouthpiece for youth. The Forum Coalitions and youth-focused organizations can use the Youth Council to gain insight that will assist them in helping youth, and the Youth Council members will also become more informed and can share this knowledge with other youth. Ultimately, the Youth Council and the Forum workgroups are working together to most efficiently and effectively benefit youth.

• Most recently, the Youth Council has been working toward creating more activities for youth to participate in that are legal and entertaining. The group is currently putting out a survey to the Missoula area schools to begin planning for creating these much-needed opportunities for youth to have productive, yet fun things to do.

• The Youth Council also serves as the Tobacco Advisory Board. This includes lending their opinions and insight to help devise anti-tobacco movements.