Last updated: 5/2/24

Mayor's Youth Council

The Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) uplifts youth voices, highlights youth priorities, and increases youth participation in city government.

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The Mayor’s Youth Council is the center of youth participation in Boston’s City Government. It allows its members to influence policy and enact programs and initiatives. In addition to being a structure that amplifies youth voice in Boston, MYC seeks to educate its members as well as Boston youth in general, in civics, job readiness, financial literacy, and more.

Have questions? Contact us:

Youth Engagement and Advancement
MYC@boston.gov
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

About

MYC is a body of 60 high school aged City of Boston residents. As an MYC member, you will learn about City government firsthand by working with other like-minded young people, City officials, and community partners. This opportunity will allow you to make the change you wish to see from within local government.

Program Goals

To accurately represent the youth populations of the various neighborhoods of Boston and to reflect the diversity of these communities
To engage all members at least four times per month in high-quality, in-person programming.
To educate young people in the areas of professionalism, leadership, and community issues through our programming, as well as through partnerships with governmental and community organizations.
To put at the disposal of youth leaders the resources of OYEA and City government in order to help them accomplish the changes they wish to see in their communities.
To collect as many ideas and votes for Youth Lead the Change from as many young people as possible across the City of Boston.
To successfully implement all outstanding YLC projects in the most beneficial way possible for youth, and for young people to direct as much of this implementation as possible.
To strengthen partnerships with city government and officials to provide the best possible experience for MYC members.
To empower MYC ambassadors to engage other youth in their communities through committee events and initiatives.

MYC Application

The application for the 2024-2025 Mayor's Youth Council is now open!

Apply by August 9th.

Apply here

Membership

LEADERS

Leader: There are three kinds of MYC leader roles totaling 20 youth. These youth are elected or appointed from the general membership to paid SuccessLink positions with a time commitment of 32-40 hours per month.
Committee Chairs: 9 elected positions focused on the administrative work of MYC committees including writing agendas, managing attendance, and leading meetings.
Project Managers: 7 elected positions focused on the leadership and execution of committee projects. PM’s run for office by proposing a specific project.
Press Specialists: 4 appointed positions focused on the communications and outreach work of MYC as a whole. This team is chosen through a hiring process by OYEA staff. Referred to collectively as the press team.

MEMBERS

Member: 40 youth making up the un-elected/appointed membership with a minimum unpaid time commitment of 6 hours per month.
Community Council Representative: 30-60 youth representatives from partner organizations with an unpaid time commitment of two hours per month. Individual youth do not necessarily remain consistent, but organizations represented do.

COMMITMENT

Members and leaders

Full Council Meetings: In person, once per month on the first Wednesday, hosted at City Hall. Required for all MYC leaders and members.
Committee Meetings: In person, twice per month per committee on hosted at BPL central. Required for all MYC leaders, and members.

LEADERS

Community Council Meetings: In person, once per month on the third Wednesday, hosted in various locations. Required for all MYC leaders and Community Council representatives.
Leadership Meetings: In person, four times per month on Mondays hosted in at City Hall. Required for all MYC leaders.

Committees

Purpose and Rationale

MYC members are sorted into eight committees which they serve on throughout the Council year.
Committees were created as follows and roughly correspond, with the exception of Youth Lead the Change, to the City of Boston Cabinets most relevant to young people.

How to Apply

Application

All applicants complete the same application which focuses on collecting basic background and eligibility information, gauging availability, and a few interview questions.

Availability

The ability to attend MYC programming as scheduled is an important factor in individual success on the Council. As much as possible, applicants will be prioritized who can meet the higher participation standard of an MYC leader throughout the school year.

Neighborhood

As a City-wide representative body of youth, it is important for MYC to approximately reflect the distribution of young people across the various neighborhoods of Boston. The youth population of any given neighborhood should be roughly proportional to the number of Council members representing that neighborhood. Admissions decisions may be made on this basis. Likewise, exceptions to this policy may be made based on the applicant pool.

Group Interview

Group interviews are an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate their ability to work in small groups and brainstorm ideas like they would in MYC Committees. One staff member joins each group and completes an evaluation sheet that gauges applicants' ability to meaningfully contribute, know when to step back, interact with peers, and think critically about a problem.

Individual Interview

Individual interviews immediately follow each group interview. Individual staff members interview each applicant privately. This is an opportunity for applicants who do not excel in a group setting, as well an additional chance for staff to get to know all applicants. Individual interview questions give applicants an opportunity to expand on ideas already brought up during the group interview. Throughout the interview, Staff are looking for an ability to interact professionally, and share information clearly.

MYC Community Council

What is the Community Council?

The Community Council is a group of youth representatives from partner organizations that represent the vibrant communities of our city, who will meet and work in collaboration with the Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC). This council aims to provide a unified space where young voices can be heard, ideas can be exchanged, and collective action can be taken to address the needs of our youth population.

How to Join

By becoming a member of the Community Council, your organization will have a seat on MYC and provide your youth with a space to have an influential role in shaping priorities, programs, and initiatives that impact our city's youth.

If you are a community organization interested in having a space for your young people on the MYC Community Council, please reach out to oyea@boston.gov for more information.