PO. BOX 5006, Fremont, CA 94537—5006
Transcription
PO. BOX 5006, Fremont, CA 94537—5006
Parks & Recreation Department 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., B P.O. Box 5006, Fremont, CA 94537-5006 510 494-4344 ph | [email protected] | www.fremont.gov Return Application to: City Clerk’s Office 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., A Fremont, CA 94538 Or to: [email protected] Date application turned in:_____May 29, 2013 Application for Youth Advisory Commission (High School) Name: Juhi Dalal Address: Birthdate:_ Telephone: Age: __ Sex: M / F E-mail address: School: . Grade: List any community involvement, volunteer work (school, church, general): PAST: Tutor at AOK Club at Gomes School, Science Camp Counselor, Indian Community Center Summer Camp Counselor, City of Fremont Summer Counselor CURRENT: Officer with Relay for Life (American Cancer Society) for May event at Mission San Jose High School, Peer Resource at Mission San Jose High School, Sophomore Student Representative of Mission Possible Parent Faculty Association, Girl Scout, Link Crew Leader for incoming freshman. What are some issues and problems that teens in Fremont face today? Fremont teens are facing issues like cyberbullying as well as bullying in the form of date violence, substance abuse and gang issues. Alcohol abuse is also very prevalent in Fremont. I also feel there are not enough work opportunities in varied fields for high school students to experience before they make a career or college major choice. What issues/problems are you and your friends dealing with today? In my community I primarily see students facing academic pressures from their parents and peers. We live in a community with a lot of first generation immigrant parents and they are not familiar with the higher education system in the US and they feel overwhelmed by it and in turn overwhelm their teens. Students are stressed over school grades and homework and that leads them to drug and alcohol abuse. I also notice that they do not have a good balance in life between their school work and rest and recreation. How do you think the YAC can help find solutions for the problems you listed above? Yes, I think if YAC can work with the schools and the community to instill the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse during the teenage years as it can affect brain development. FUSD budget cuts have stopped various drug abuse prevention programs and therefore the junior high students and the younger high school students are experimenting with drugs on an increased level. Also YAC can work with the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and the Fremont Business community to develop opportunities for work/study program for Fremont Teens. We could also approach businesses to set up Teen Dance Clubs where teens can hang out in a drug and alcohol free environment. _ What do you feel you can add or could bring to the YAC if selected? RD-036/smg – 12/12 My volunteer work with children and teens has given me a good perspective on teen behavior and my work with the PFA has taught me how to conduct meetings and review budgets etc. I have some ideas with respect to substance abuse, work study opportunities that I would like to bring to YAC if selected. RD-036/smg – 12/12 Parks & Recreation Department 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., B P.O. Box 5006, Fremont, CA 94537-5006 510 494-4344 ph | [email protected] | www.fremont.gov Return Application to: City Clerk’s Office 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., A Fremont, CA 94538 Or to: [email protected] Date application turned in:__5/24/13________________ Application for Youth Advisory Commission (High School) Name: __Himaja Jangle_____________________________________________________________________________ Address:__ Birthdate:_ Telephone: _________________________________________________________________________ __________________ Age:_ ____ Sex: M / F E-mail address: ___________ School:_ __________ ______________ Grade:_ _______ List any community involvement, volunteer work (school, church, general): Last summer, I travelled to Tijuana, Mexico and built a house for an underprivileged family. I have volunteered at the Olive Children Foundation where I helped run a class to teach students about robotics. I also volunteered at the Aga Khan Foundation Partnership Walk which aims to spread awareness of global poverty. I have also been involved and volunteering in school activities such as the Halloween Carnival. What are some issues and problems that teens in Fremont face today? Teens in Fremont face a variety of problems. This assortment of issues may range in severity, but all need to be addressed. To begin with, not all Fremont teens are aware of the extent of problems such as poverty and homelessness that exist in areas outside of Fremont. All teens must be educated about these problems and then given details on how they can make a difference and reduce these issues. Through this awareness, we can help many others as a community. Furthermore, teens in Fremont suffer from lack of involvement in community service programs. Many teens are willing to help and take leadership positions in the community, but do not know where to start. By giving them options in which they can participate, we can increase teen participation in the community as well as gain more volunteers to benefit the programs. As a city, I believe if we teens unite, we can achieve greater heights and help others in need. However, we lack people to take initiative and responsibility to take leadership positions in these tasks. What issues/problems are you and your friends dealing with today? Today, around my school I can still see problems that can easily be solved. For example, bullying is still eminent in the hallways of any school. Many students suffer from social and parental pressure and need refuge where they can get away from it rather than giving in. Fortunately, through correct education and awareness, this can be prevented. Another problem is the lack of awareness of growing issues within and outside of our community. Many students are unaware of many of the problems people around us suffer such as poverty and lack of shelter. On the other hand, there are additional students who are aware of these problems but not on the way in which to combat them. RD-036/smg – 12/12 How do you think the YAC can help find solutions for the problems you listed above? The YAC is perfect in solving all of these problems. To begin with, holding public discussions and conferences can educate teens on how they can help their community. This can also spread awareness of problems occurring outside the community which may need to be addressed as well. Additionally, these public discussions can lead to an increase in opportunities for students to actively participate in reducing these problems such as bullying. YAC is essential in encouraging the initiative needed for students to utilize these opportunities in order to reduce the amount of eminent issues in our community as well as around the world. While working on these tasks together, can help increase community unity in order to increase our efficiency in our work. What do you feel you can add or could bring to the YAC if selected? As a part of YAC, I believe I can bring skills that are essential for this position. YAC requires leaders who have the ability to communicate well with others in order to create opportunities for students to discuss everyday issues and problems that many deal with. I have acquired these skills in the past by working with many other students building a house for an underprivileged family in Mexico. Furthermore, I believe the leadership skills I have gained from being a chess tutor, assistant and carious children's classes, and in color guard will be beneficial when participating in community discussions. My current involvement with the community will also be a good addition to YAC because I can encourage others to join me in additional events. Together, we can tackle and solve many issues with our increasing community involvement, responsibility, and unity. RD-036/smg – 12/12 Parks & Recreation Department 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., B P.O. Box 5006, Fremont, CA 94537-5006 510 494-4344 ph | [email protected] | www.fremont.gov Return Application to: City Clerk’s Office 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., A Fremont, CA 94538 Or to: [email protected] Date application turned in: June 18, 2013 Application for Youth Advisory Commission (High School) Name: Naveen Shastri Address: Birthdate: Telephone: Age: Sex: M E-mail address: School: Grade: List any community involvement, volunteer work (school, church, general): I have served my local community in various roles, most notably as Thornton Jr. High ASB President. In this position, I initiated a successful recycling program, ran the Student Store, and organized the dances and assemblies. Also, as a freshman, I was a Student Council member. I was also an active WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) Leader in junior high and Shadow Leader in high school, helping incoming students assimilate into the new and stressful environments. In school, I am a member of the Service Club, which raised the most successful Food Drive ever this year. I have also been nominated for and participated in the Jr. National Young Leaders Conference in Washington D.C, where I learned about leadership skills through American history. As an alumni of that conference, I also attended the 2013 High School Presidential Inaugural Conference. Outside of school, I have had volunteer experience this past year with children as a counselor for Classic Math School and a STAR test prep tutor for Shooting Stars Foundation. I am currently playing piano for Jazzinators, the local East Bay non-profit youth jazz band. Most recently, I have started a Geography Club affiliated with Ardenwood School to impart my passion and knowledge of geography to others. I am also an Induz Youth Ambassador, which initiates after-school programs to teach art and culture to children in the community. What are some issues and problems that teens in Fremont face today? A few of the different issues Fremont teens face today are bullying, pressures of drugs (including tobacco), and a lack of art and culture exposure to children. As teens transition from elementary to junior high and high school, they face larger and harsher environments. Programs such as WEB and LINK can help deal with the bullying and peer pressures of teens. However, these efforts are not enough to meet the needs of direct student involvement in solving these issues. In my junior high, I was a very active member of the TUPE (Tobacco-Use Prevention Education) committee in WEB, which guided students on avoiding drugs and empowered them to make good choices. Unfortunately, some areas of Fremont lack drug education and awareness. Interestingly, another issue for local teens is the lack of culture and awareness in schools and other parts of the community. Teens are simply not given enough support to respect the multicultural environment of Fremont. Increasing art and cultural awareness in the city will also decrease bullying because it is a direct result of not understanding others’ differences. RD-036/smg – 12/12 What issues/problems are you and your friends dealing with today? My friends and I deal with issues such as segregation and social media etiquette. In fact, both problems result from a lack of cultural acceptance and education in the local community. Teens today tend to place certain individuals in different groups based on their interests and social groups. However, I have rarely observed instances of judgments based solely on merit and character in teen environments. This social segregation has caused sadness, depression, and sometimes just pure confusion; many struggle to grasp why the outside look can be judged more than the inside character of a human being. This misunderstanding leads to bad usage of social media. Teens commonly don’t think about the consequences of their online actions, which are permanent. Maintaining a positive influence to oneself and others is what is expected online and in the real world. How do you think the YAC can help find solutions for the problems you listed above? It is crucial that the YAC help find answers to these pressing issues. For example, in the Junior High Leadership Conferences, education on social media etiquette could be presented. The clear messages imparted to the student representatives would then be spread to the rest of the Fremont students. Also, the YAC can organize a Social Media discussion with various students about etiquette so teens can fully educate themselves on how one should act online. Online bullying will reduce as a result, and bullying/drug conferences with the same purposes as mentioned above should be organized by the YAC. In addition, bullying discussions and panels can be conducted in various schools and libraries. The YAC can organize Anti-Bullying and Anti-Drug fundraisers and events to encourage positive social pressure in teens. Additionally, a strong increase of art and culture events should be taken upon by the YAC. Ranging from a citywide Art Day in local community centers to public art/writing contests, events encouraging artistic and cultural acceptance should be in every corner of Fremont. What do you feel you can add or could bring to the YAC if selected? I have significant experience in dealing with issues such as bullying, segregation, drugs, and cultural appreciation. As a WEB and Shadow Leader, I know what it takes to comfort and support teens who have been bullied. I am passionate about ensuring Fremont teens are appreciated in a safe environment- online and in the community. Also, as a member of a local youth jazz band, which encourages music education in the East Bay, I can bring forth my longtime musical skills and leadership experience to the YAC. I yearn to promote art and cultural appreciation in the community, such as by being a Induz Youth Ambassador. The important roles of ASB President and Freshman Student Council member have given me the management and leadership skills necessary to take on the important task of tackling teen social pressures. Witnessing the historical 2013 inauguration and attending Jr. NYLC has inspired to me to consistently make a difference in my community. Furthermore, I am a current member of Speech and Debate, which has helped me develop my excellent speaking and argumentative skills. Proper communication, an enduring sense of cooperation, and a drive to improve the community are the foundations of an effective leader. My love of community involvement and marvelous leadership skills will be a valuable contribution to the YAC. RD-036/smg – 12/12 Parks & Recreation Department 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., B P.O. Box 5006, Fremont, CA 94537-5006 510 494-4344 ph | [email protected] | www.fremont.gov Return Application to: City Clerk’s Office 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., A Fremont, CA 94538 Or to: [email protected] Date application turned in: 03/12/2014 Application for Youth Advisory Commission (High School) Name: Htet Wint Address: Birthdate: Telephone: Age: School: Sex: E-mail address: Grade: List any community involvement, volunteer work (school, church, general): WHS Key Club (Treasurer 2013-2014, VP 2014-2015) American Red Cross – WHS Chapter (Treasurer 2013-2014) Burmese (Myanmar) Community and Cultural Center (Volunteer) Burmese Youth Association (Volunteer) What are some issues and problems that teens in Fremont face today? Many of our teens in Fremont are facing problems with drugs and alcohol. Street culture teaches them that it’s “cool” or “popular” to experiment with these dangerous materials when in reality, their future is being stolen from them right in front of their eyes. Schools (especially high schools) need to take a more proactive approach in dealing with these issues; it is not enough to hold a “Red Ribbon Week” or information sessions about harmful drugs. In all honesty, these ‘preventive’ actions are not effective and have zero to little effect on teen’s actions. Another issue concerning Fremont’s youth is education. A common theme around most of our local high schools is some kids are learning, while others are not. Failures of some teachers to engage and teach on their subjects add to the growing problem of our education system. Academics and school administrations need to refocus its goals on educating our youth with a world-class education with good teachers. Students also play a role in this problem, many of them lack motivation to study and achieve. We cannot keep adding more ‘lower-level’ math, science, and English courses to solve these problems, our schools must work harder in preparing students, regardless of gender, race, religion etc., to enroll in challenging courses. RD-036/smg – 12/12 What issues/problems are you and your friends dealing with today? Some issues that my friends and I are dealing with today are lack of opportunities to challenge ourselves outside school, inefficient educators, and bullying. Most of our high school academic careers are focused mainly on school, whether it be on grades, sports, clubs, etc. which is an important component to our self-development, but we seem to forget that real life, hands-on experiences also matter. We need to provide our teens with more opportunities in career explorations, internships, and community involvement. One of our main concerns is unmotivated, inefficient educators at our schools. Not to say all educators are great, many of them are—they love to teach and are awesome at doing it, but once in a while, teens find themselves in unfortunate circumstances with an unprepared or unmotivated teacher. A major issue of our teenage years is bullying (cyber, verbal, physical, and emotional). Whether it is racism or homophobia, many of my peers are hesitant to intervene and help the bullied victims. The most common type of bullying I have seen is verbal, teens throw around inappropriate, sometimes degrading terms without ever realizing that they contributed to a more harmful and negative environment. How do you think the YAC can help find solutions for the problems you listed above? YAC could do many things to help solve problems many of our teens face today. On the issue of drugs and alcohol, we need to find a better approach that is more effective in preventing kids from experimenting with them. In terms of our educational system, we need emphasis more on producing successful, driven kids, not see them as numbers on list that we need to graduate. YAC could work with Fremont Unified School District to help build greater educational environment for our youth and invest in our future. On the topic of bullying, YAC could find ways to provide schools with better tools to decrease bullying tremendously on campus and in student culture. What do you feel you can add or could bring to the YAC if selected? To YAC, I would bring a ‘can-do’ attitude and a passion for serving others. Nothing brings me greater joy than improving and helping others’ lives for the better. I am an honest person, I call it like I see it; I am good team player and I can also work independently if necessary. If asked I can efficiently lead a team on organizing local events and causes also. But most importantly, I would be an advocate for my peers and represent them in YAC with honesty and service in my mind. RD-036/smg – 12/12 Parks & Recreation Department 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., B P.O. Box 5006, Fremont, CA 94537-5006 510 494-4344 ph | [email protected] | www.fremont.gov Return Application to: City Clerk’s Office 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg., A Fremont, CA 94538 Or to: [email protected] Date application turned in:_________________________ Application for Youth Advisory Commission (High School) Name: Michael Hsiu Address: Birthdate: Age: Telephone: ( School: Sex: Male E-mail address: Grade: List any community involvement, volunteer work (school, church, general): For the past year, I have been working with the Eden Township Youth Court, the Castro Valley Youth Court, and most recently, the Tri-Valley Youth Court. I began as a Juror, and have since been promoted past the post of Bailiff to become an Advocate. My job description as an Advocate involves defending a convicted criminal in court by researching information relating to the client whom I am assigned and constructing a case using evidence from police reports and comprehensive interviews. Working with these youth courts has led me to encounter many controversial subjects, ranging from truancy to drug use to assault and battery. Participating as an Advocate for a total of ten cases has also allowed me the ability to meet these issues with a sense of professionalism, and my experience has allowed me a detailed view of the spectrum that encompasses law and crime. This year, I was also accepted to the prestigious COSMOS (California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science) Program at UC Santa Cruz, where I studied, in depth, the wonders and mysteries surrounding number theory and ciphers this summer. I also explored the effects of logic and cryptography on problemsolving and their impacts on everyday life. For the past year, I have also been working with Abode Homeless Shelters as a homework tutor and a children’s activities assistant. This has again improved my ability to work with others and see a more complete compilation of my entire community, of which I now see varies widely in terms of finance. I see it as my civic duty to give back to the community which I have grown from by improving the lives of those that take up residence at the Abode Homeless Shelters. Every month, I serve with the Loaves and Fishes Family Kitchen at least once. I feel that working as a server and a setup/takedown person for the organization is not simply valuable work experience, but also another way to better my community as a whole. By helping to serve food and beverages to the families that use the kitchen, I have learned of the unknown side of my community. Before participating with this organization, I had not known the degree to which homelessness and hunger had spread in my neighborhood. Working for the disadvantaged and those unable to even acquire food or water without the support of this organization has led me to see the true necessity of community service—not only its value, but also its results. RD-036/smg – 12/12 I have spent my past school year working with the Writer’s Block Club of my school, which is dedicated to peer-editing essays and promoting short story authors that show great potential through contests and other methods of the sort. The club also offers Editors, which help edit essays and manage contests or competitions that may arise. This past school year, I applied to be an Editor, and was accepted. As a result of my service as an Editor this year, I have been elected to be this year’s Treasurer for the program, a title which I will attempt to hold well. I applied and was accepted as a Link Crew Youngling at my school for this summer, meaning I assisted with the senior Link Crew Leaders in welcoming a new generation of students to our school this year (through introducing them to the geography of the school, informing them about schedules and the new high school procedure, etc.). Though my work was primarily focused upon running errands and doing the “heavy lifting” associated with being a member of the Link Crew, I believe that this process has readied me for the time when I become a Link Crew Leader myself. This past year, I was a member of my school’s badminton Junior Varsity team. As a doubles player, I learned to collaborate with my team members in order to win matches and master the art of cooperation; as a singles player, I strove for independence to achieve victory. Badminton has energized me physically. It has also made me part of a team. I was also previously accepted into the Northern California Band Association (NCBA) and the California Band Directors Association (CBDA) for 2012, where I participated in concerts as a clarinetist. I believe that participating in these band festivals allowed me to truly express my prowess with my instrument by uniting me with other musicians of my caliber; I feel that doing so has truly taught me independence and the importance of music to my life. What are some issues and problems that teens in Fremont face today? The issue of opportunity has consistently been a problem that teens face throughout the past decade. However, it is my belief that in the last two or three years that competition in the Silicon Valley, chiefly in Fremont, has prevented many teens from participating in events that cater to their aspirations. This unfortunate occurrence is not simply an issue representing opportunity availability, however—through my own personal investigation, I have found that opportunities present in Fremont are hard to come upon, at least in some cases. This, I feel, is the case with some volunteer opportunities in this city. Though it is reasonable that some volunteer opportunities remain identified only to the parties that have explicitly shown an interest in them, organizations requesting for help in the community should at least support that claim. This is a duty of the Youth Advisory Commission—if organizations in Fremont need help, supporting these groups should be a primary focus. Teens today are also subject to a reduced school budget, which can directly affect how they learn and what they do in the future. Even this year, at my high school, minimum days are being implemented every week. I won’t pretend that this is an entirely negative change: sleep is greatly desired by teens, especially those in high school. However, along with this change comes some others, such as the cutting of veteran teachers and the addition of many new ones. These new teachers are often not as experienced or established academically as their predecessors, and as a result, incoming students to high schools may not learn as much as they would. It is my desire to give students more representation within Fremont administrative councils. With my current experience, I can generalize that most of the schools in Fremont face a similar education crisis. As a representative for not only my school, but for also all of the school districts in Fremont, I would work closely with other representatives and authority figures in order to solve this problem. Another major issue that is present in much of Fremont’s teenage community today involves peer pressure. This peer pressure causes many general problems that are not only seen in the Fremont teenage community, but also in the adult community. However, these problems are the easiest to fix when they are reported by the teen RD-036/smg – 12/12 community. These problems are the most controversial ones: the problems of teen drug and alcohol use. These issues are also the hardest to address, in my opinion, with any decision-making council, especially one composed of and run by teens. I have learned how to deal with such subject matters with the professional competence needed for this position through my experiences in Youth Court as an Advocate. With the other members of this commission, I hope to implement useful propositions that limit or even eliminate teen drug use in the future. It is to my knowledge that information about this encompassing matter is limited in some aspects. As a member of this Youth Commission, I will do everything in my power to cooperate with the students that I represent to bring positive change to this issue. What issues/problems are you and your friends dealing with today? My friends and I deal with many of the same issues as other teens of Fremont deal with today. We, too, are victims of education budget cuts at our schools. I know this is true because I have friends from other high schools throughout Fremont as well as in my high school. However, some of the most serious issues we have been faced with involve influence from our respective schools. There was a suicide at my school a few months ago. Although the initial shock of this news has already ceased for me, I still understand the messages that such an action could have had on the other students of my school. Not only did this event bring a depression to the overall learning atmosphere of our school, but it also tapped into those of us that had experienced suicidal thoughts before. During my participation at this year’s COSMOS Summer Camp, I learned, through a workshop called “Diversity Training,” that a great deal of teens, even those that had previously seemed incredibly cheerful to me, had entertained suicidal notions at some point. I am sure that some of my friends have experienced these thoughts before; I can connect with them on this. During my tenure as a Link Crew Youngling, I also learned of the problems of this year’s incoming freshmen to my school. These problems were also tightly connected with peer pressure and bullying. Despite new education regulations, bullying is still a common problem in many schools—my own school is an example. Because it is difficult for students to take part in preventing such situations from occurring, I will attempt to deal with this issue by properly instructing new students on how to prevent and report bullying to stop each separate incident from recurring again. Stress is also an important issue that my friends and I are constantly confronted with. Being in high school forces us to reassert our priorities, to rethink our schedules, and to use time with the utmost wisdom. This problem is one of the hardest to deal with: as a person gains more responsibilities, he must learn to adapt to complete all of his tasks. Though there are times at which stress may seem more like a troubling burden, it is still central in its use as a mechanism of development. In some ways, this issue is necessary for teens—it is what allows them to grow, as it has allowed me to grow. How do you think the YAC can help find solutions for the problems you listed above? The purpose of the YAC is to provide a representative platform which allows teens to influence the events of Fremont that may either directly or indirectly affect them. For this reason, members of the YAC should know a great deal about the issues that I have put forth above, and be able to address them with effectiveness (and possibly act through personal experience). As I mentioned earlier, I have had many experiences that involved dealing actively with people. Working for numerous volunteer organizations and for non-profit establishments involved with teens has taught me much about the issues that I commonly encounter today. When I say this, I believe that I can talk for the entire teenage community. By working with Fremont’s Board Trustees, the YAC can help Fremont citizens gain awareness about such current issues. Many of the issues that I put forth have to do with budget cuts. The YAC’s job in this situation is to make recommendations to the Trustees based on how they can best aid the area’s youth. It could also approach this problem by putting in input for alternate education programs with the city’s education department. RD-036/smg – 12/12 One of the most important powers of the YAC is its abilities to convey information to the public. Its connection with the public has lent it many of the strengths that it possesses today with the Board of Trustees. This connection can also be used to promote volunteer opportunities and community service, as it has done before, only on a larger scale. It can also be used to publish or promote teen artists and events throughout Fremont. This will lead to an even stronger connection between Fremont’s teen community and its governing bodies, and help in different ways in the future. By promoting different ways that teens can help all around Fremont, the teenage community will become more willing to participate in all types of community work. This will create a bond between the YAC and the teenage community which it represents and advocates for, and teens will develop a more extroverted relationship with YAC officials. This is necessary in order to produce a welcome atmosphere of leadership—representatives must be trusted by the people that they represent. This is the source of the solutions that the YAC can then, in turn, utilize to solve the problems of their represented peoples. Dealing with peer pressure is, as I have mentioned before, a touchy subject with teens. The YAC allows for everyone to share their experiences while dealing with this issue in an understanding and supportive environment. The YAC has publicly done this as well, through events such as the Junior High Leadership Conference. These conferences are essential in helping teens to move past their personal problems, including past bullying or other traumatic incidents, through the cumulative experience of YAC members. What do you feel you can add or could bring to the YAC if selected? Throughout the past few years, I have become more involved with the Fremont community. Doing so has led me to realize the great amount of success that the Fremont administration has had with managing such an accomplished city. However, not all that I have seen has made me optimistic. There are problems in Fremont, despite all of the wonderful management that has kept it such a city of veneration over the years. These problems are far-ranging: the issues that I listed earlier in this application are just some of the more major ones. These may not seem like the most important issues to all of the citizens of Fremont—this is true. I have selected issues that are strictly centralized to the teenage community, which I feel deserves a voice when the City of Fremont writes its legislature. The YAC is this voice. As a member of this commission, I would offer my own unique perspective on current teen on-goings in Fremont: through my experience with working in Youth Court, I have developed a professional approach towards dealing with teen drug and alcohol use. I feel that lending this view to the council would allow it to develop a more profound understanding of this topic, and use that experience to help the Board of Trustees in developing new regulations to combat it. Working with volunteer organizations such as the Abode Homeless Shelters and the Loaves and Fishes Family Kitchen has given me a unique insight into the lives of many Fremont citizens. I have seen people from all ends of the financial continuum; I have spoken with many teens that have at some point been supported by these organizations, and obtained their opinions on teen issues as well. At school, I have worked with Link Crew and the badminton team. Participating in this wide array of activities has given me the liberty to ask other teens about issues that are predominant in Fremont. By doing this, I have discovered aspects of teen life that I previously had no knowledge of. Now that I possess such knowledge, I see it as my mission to see to it that it makes its way to the YAC, and possibly to the authority figures of the City of Fremont as well. All of my work with my school, with my community, has taught me that experience is not everything. It is only a basis upon which to draw and create ideas. These ideas are what I wish to bring to the YAC. Using my experience as a guiding figure has given me additional ideas about new conferences that the YAC can hold, about legislative propositions that can help curb teen drug and alcohol use, and about restorative programs that will help make education-building much simpler in the years to come. By joining the YAC as a Youth Commissioner, I will be able to share these ideas with my peers, and together, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of all Fremont teens. RD-036/smg – 12/12