Marin County Youth Commission (MCYC)

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.

MCYC is a place to grow leadership & teamwork skills while making a change in my community.


Lizbeth Mendieta, former Marin County Youth Commission Co-Chair, 20-21 & 22-23

The Marin County Board of Supervisors President Stephanie Mounlton Peters Swore in 23 Commissioners for the 2023-2024 term: Cole Greene, Sammy Lee, Jessica Mendieta, Walt Novosardian, Annika Parmar, Marguerite Walden-Kaufman, Roshan Belani, Xophia Cabello, Franccesca Calle La Bou, Annie Carmona, Alex Fooman, Caroline Foster,Tara Fullerton, Maya Kux, Jasmine Wood, Sarah Williams, Parvati Nag, Gabriella Rouas, Dayana Jimenez Salceda, Mikayla Silverstein, William Simonton, Mira Sridharan, and Graham 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 2022-2023 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 Mental Health Festival. Our event was held on May 7th at the Marin Office of Education. We had an intergenerational panel, a community art activity and workshops. We concluded the event with a vibrant resource fair highlighting 11 organizations/programs. The event was open to high school students and adults of all ages, and was fun and informational. 

Thank you to NAMI, Kara Connors (suicide prevention collaborative) and Marin County Office of Education for supporting our event.

Follow us on Social Media! @marinmentalhealth 

Education EquityThe education equity subcommittee strives to combat disparities found in our education system, and to empower students by providing equitable access to opportunities and resources. We began the year by reviewing issues that affect fellow students in Marin (such as a lack of access to certain programs), and proceeded by meticulously planning our events for the year. Our accomplishments include:

  • Free Financial Literacy Class! (Virtual, Financial Coach from Community Action Marin)
  • 2 Free Study Halls with Food and Drinks (At Marin Promise Partnership)
  • Free College Night! Featuring 3 senior commissioners and college advisor from San Rafael High School. 

Thank you to Marin Promise Partnership for donating your space for our study halls. Thank you to our guest speakers for donating your time!

Disability Justice – This was the first year MCYC had a Disability Justice subcommittee! Young people focused on educating, empowering, & ensuring the inclusion of disabled people in Marin County. Furthermore, Commissioners worked diligently to establish the subcommittee and gave a presentation on disability to students, teachers, & NUSD board, hosted a movie night at College of Marin, and, in total, reached over 100 people from various parts of Marin. 

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:

  • 5 Narcan trainings (Archie Williams, San Domenico faculty and students, MCYC, 2 community-wide) 
  • 2 Narcan distributions (Mental Health Festival, San Rafael Farmers Market)

Thank you to RXSafe Marin and the SPAHR Center for supporting our work this year! 

Follow us on Social Media! @atodmarin

Housing – On account of the significant housing crisis in Marin County, Commissioners decided to bring back the Housing Subcommittee. Their mission is to uplift youth voices in the fight to give accessible housing opportunities to all Marin residents. This year, the Housing Subcommittee accomplished the following:

  • Interviewed Andrea Rey, Community Engagement Coordinator, from Homeward Bound
  • Attended a Larkspur City Council meeting on Just Cause Evictions, and had the opportunity to voice the subcommittee’s concerns during public comment. 
  • Attended Larkspur City Council meeting on Rent Cap, and spoke to attendees 
  • Tabled at the Children for Change, sharing about homelessness and affordable housing and discussing their work on MCYC.

Overall, the Housing subcommittee reached approximately 180 people throughout Marin to spread their message and advocate for a youth voice in housing!

End of Year Forum 

In partnership with the Marin County Free Library we held an in-person end of year forum on May 24th at the Civic Center Cafeteria. Interested students, community partners, family and friends were invited to hear about what MCYC accomplished this year. It was great to be supported by the community and to have the commissioners present their work!

Interested in Joining?

Commissioners are appointed by the Board of Supervisors in August for 1-year terms. All Marin County residents between the ages of 12-21 years are eligible — ethnically and culturally diverse youth are highly encouraged to apply. Commissioners are expected to attend a 1-day Intro to Social Justice Training, followed by weekly  meetings. In addition, occasional events, workshops, and networking opportunities are required. 

The MCYC application cycle is currently closed. To learn more about how to get involved and to receive information about future application cycles, please contact the Program Coordinator, Sonia Saltzman.