Founded in 1969, the Marin County Youth Commission (MCYC) is one of the oldest and most well-regarded youth commissions in the United States. Made up of 23 youth aged 12-23 years, MCYC’s goal is to act as a political voice for young people — particularly those in underserved populations, including youth of color, youth with disabilities, homeless youth, rural youth, and LGBTQ youth — by engaging with the Marin County Board of Supervisors and other policy makers.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors President Dennis Rodini Swore in 23 Commissioners for the 2024-2025 term: Annie Carmona, Tara Fullerton, Cole Greene, Alegra Valente, Anna Wallen, Jess Lester, Akhila Brahmandam, Caroline Foster, Mia Abrajan, Abdul Azeem Munshi, Brian Castillo, Walt Novosardian, Mira Sridharan, Roshan Belani, Finn Nelson, Maya Kux, Christopher Poore, Makenna Mussato, Samantha Dvorin, Jacinda Wright, Hava Rossiter, Kelvin Colli, Jasmine Wood.
At the beginning of each term, Commissioners work diligently to identify issues about which they are passionate and meet with community organizations to learn about ongoing efforts to address these issues. They then organize and implement social justice campaigns, which may look like drafting public policy, engaging other youth through trainings and events, and/or conducting community-wide education.
During the 2023-2024 MCYC term, commissioners focused on the following issues areas:
Mental Health – The mental health subcommittee works to destigmatize and educate Marin youth on issues surrounding mental health. The majority of the year, we focused on creating and hosting our Wellness Festival. This year marked the subcommittees 5th Annual Wellness Festival held at Terra Linda High School on May 11th, 2023. The Festival included a panel about wellness and its connection to outdoor spaces, an art and film showcase and workshops held by other subcommittees and community partners. We concluded the event with a vibrant resource fair highlighting our incredible community partners!The event was open to high school students and adults of all ages, and was fun, informational, and nurtured wellness.
Thank you to Marin 9 to 25 and Find Your Way, Kara Connors (suicide prevention collaborative), Marin County Office of Education, Marin Clean Energy, Marin Community Foundation for supporting our event.
Follow us on Social Media! @marinmentalhealth
LGBTQ+ – The LGBTQ+ subcommittee was back this year and built community partnerships across the county to strengthen lgbtq+ youth resources in the wake of the closing of the Spahr Center. The subcommittee’s major event this year was hosting Queer Prom in late June at the Falkirk Cultural Center. This event provided space for lgbtq+ young people in Marin to express themselves openly and party in a safe and substance free space. Youth could dance, play board games, take pictures at the photo station, or watch heartstopper on the back porch.
Disability Justice – This was the second year MCYC had a Disability Justice subcommittee! Young people focused on educating, empowering, & ensuring the inclusion of all disabled people in Marin County. Commissioners worked diligently to expand their outreach from last year when they reached 100 youth and community members. This year the subcommittee presented to over 2500 youth, adult allies, and community partners and presenting to an entire student body in 1 day.
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Prevention (ATOD) –This year, the ATOD subcommittee’s goal was to increase youth access to Narcan and other harm reduction resources in order to prevent overdoses. ATOD continued to work closely with the SPAHR Center specifically around distributing Narcan. We were able to accomplish the following:
- MCYC narcan presentation and Distribution
- yli presentation and distribution
- Spoke on Navigating Youth Substance Use Community Panel with David Sheff
- Discussion and Presentation led at at TL
- Tabled at MTGC
- Volunteered with ODFree Marin @ Farmers Market
- Presented to and trained Novato Community Coalition for Substance Prevention
- Educated 270+ people
- Distributed 165+ kits of Narcan
Thank you to RXSafe Marin and OD Free Marin for supporting our work this year!
Follow us on Social Media! @atodmarin
Racial Equity – The Racial Equity subcommittee aimed to promote cultural diversity by uplifting communities of color in Marin. Through doing community outreach they strove to unite POC in order to advance equity. Their projects for the year included: Dine and Donate, their first Cultural Fusion Fair and a Workshop at the Wellness Festival.
Meeting Agendas & Minutes – Click Below to access!
24-25 Cohort Minutes and Agendas
| Date | Event Name | Agendas | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Sept 7th | Special Meeting- Social Justice Retreat | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Sept 11th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Sept 25th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Oct 2nd | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Oct 9th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Oct 16th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Oct 23rd | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Oct 30th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Nov 6th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Nov 13th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| General Meeting- CANCELED | Agenda– CANCELED | Due to inclement weather, this meeting has been canceled. | |
| Wednesday, Dec 4th | General Meeting | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wednesday, Dec 11th | General Meeting | Agenda | |
| Wednesday, Dec 18th | SPECIAL MEETING | Agenda | Note: Different Location than usual, refer to agenda |
23-24 Minutes and Agendas
| Date | Event Name | Agendas | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, January 10 | January 10 | Minutes | |
| Tue, January 24 | January 24 | Minutes | |
| Mon, February 27 | February 27 | Minutes | |
| Mon, March 6 | March 6 | Minutes | |
| Wed, September 13 | September 13 | Minutes | |
| Wed, September 27 | September 27 | Minutes | |
| Wed, October 4 | October 4 | Minutes | |
| Wed, October 11 | October 11 | Minutes | |
| Wed, October 18 | October 18 | Minutes | |
| Wed, October 25 | October 25 | Minutes | |
| Wed, November 8 | November 8 | Minutes | |
| Mon, December 13 | December 13 | Minutes | |
| Wed, February 28th | February 28 | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wed, March 20th | March 20 | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wed, April 3rd | April 3rd | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wed, April 17th | April 17th | Agenda | Minutes |
| Wed, May 1st | May 1st | Agenda | Minutes |
Calendar of Meetings 24-25
Interested in Joining?
The MCYC application cycle is currently closed until we start to recruit for the 25-26 cohort! We will start accepting applications in mid April. If you have any questions regarding getting involved until then, please contact the Program Manager, Laura Hay.