Youth Commission

Agenda Village of Arlington Heights Youth Commission Arlington Heights Memorial Library Room I - 500 N. Dunton Ave AH 60004 January 18, 2024 6:00 PM I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. October 19, 2023 Minutes IV. REPORTS A. Commission Reports a. Library b. Park District c. Police Department d. Schools e. Commissioners at Large V. OLD BUSINESS A. Teen Health Programming B. Snow Shoveling Program C. Dodgeball Tournament D. Teen Job Fair VI. NEW BUSINESS VII. OTHER BUSINESS VIII.PUBLIC COMMENT IX. ADJOURNMENT Persons with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services, such as an American Sign Language interpreter or written materials in accessible formats, should contact Erin Mercado, at 33 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005, emercado@vah.com or (847)368-5793.  Youth Commission 1/18/2024 Item: Minutes Department: HHS ATTACHMENTS: Description Type October 19, 2023 Minutes Minutes  Minutes Village of Arlington Heights Youth Commission Arlington Heights Memorial Library 500 N. Dunton Ave 2nd Floor, Room I October 19, 2023 6:00 PM I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Son called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. All stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. All introduced themselves. II. ROLL CALL Present Also Present Alice Son, Chair James McCalister, Commission Liaison Cheryl Moore Kimberly Witt Nathan Georg Lucy Jochaniewicz Absent Jennifer Borrell Matt Healy John Peterson Gabe Cherwin Ava McQuade Christopher Hong Owen Smith Officer Taryn Gombar Afroz Hafeez III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Minutes from August 17, 2023. A motion was made by Commissioner Peterson to approve the minutes of the August 17, 2023 meeting, seconded by Commissioner Georg and approved by unanimous consent. 1 IV. REPORTS A. Commission Reports 1. Library Chairperson Son stated that a Halloween party which is a murder mystery will take place in the hub closer to Halloween. The hub, which is currently undergoing construction, is their designated teen space located downstairs. Chair Son said that conference rooms will be added to the hub for 7th-12th graders, with the construction expected to be completed by December. She said they are visiting all the schools and organizing activities such as Tinker Days at District 214 schools. 2. Park District No Report 3. Police Department Officer Gombar said there is no news to report. 4. Schools Commissioner Moore said everything is rolling along smoothly. Unfortunately, due to remote learning, students have fallen behind in their studies. In fact, seniors who are graduating are now performing at a ninth-grade level on average. This highlights the loss in the education department, as learning at home on Zoom is not the same as in-person instruction with teachers. 5. Commissioners at Large Commissioner McQuade (Hersey) said college representatives visited their school. They also had the “Big Game”, a special basketball event that supports Gerry’s Café. Commissioner Hong (Buffalo Grove) announced the end of sports season and highlighted that the previous week was focused on raising awareness for mental health. Commissioner Georg (Rolling Meadows) said their Homecoming football game is tomorrow, while their dance is scheduled for Saturday. He also said that college applications are due in two weeks, and mid-terms were held two weeks ago. Commissioner Peterson (Prospect) said that sports are gearing up for regionals, sectionals and state championships. Commissioner Smith (Prospect) Owen affirmed Commissioner Peterson’s statement and reminded everyone that college applications are due soon. Commissioner Jochaniewicz (St. Viator) announced that they just completed an all-school testing, and winter sports are about to begin. V. OLD BUSINESS A. Teen Health Programming – Chair Son stated that Nicole Espinoza could not attend the meeting and highlighted the main topic of discussion: whether to focus on mental health initiatives as part 2  of the teen health programming. There was previous discussion on organizing an event or initiative to engage teenagers in the community. Additionally, the Board of Health was interested in hearing the Youth Commission’s input on health initiatives. Ms. Espinoza was invited by the Commission to discuss mental health, recognizing the sensitivity of the topic. Commissioner Georg expressed that despite ongoing discussions around mental health, there has been a lack of progress and a clean plan of action is needed with the Board of Health to achieve it. The Commission reviewed various proposals for addressing mental health concerns among teens. Some of the ideas discussed included virtual sessions and resource hour in the hub, which could potentially raise privacy concerns, especially if sensitive information is relayed to parents. Additionally, there were concerns about teens assisting other teens with mental health issues. Some Commissioners felt that professionals available online would be better equipped to handle these situations. During the discussion, mental health youth training was brought up as a means to coordinate various situations and identify the available resources. Commissioner Peterson proposed having someone in the hub once a month to connect with teenagers and Commissioner Hong hopes it draws a larger crowd in the long run. The best time for the social worker to hold the resource hour is 4-5pm on a weekday but it seems that 6-7pm would be a better time for teens due to afterschool activities. The goal is to launch the resource hour at the beginning of the new year. The Commission decided that they would like Ms. Espinoza to attend the next meeting. B. Snow Shoveling Program – Chair Son asked the Commission if they had spoken to anyone from their school about disseminating information. Commissioner McQuade and Commissioner Hong both said they emailed their respective deans but had not received a response. Commissioner Moore suggested going to the office and informing them that they had already emailed the dean and did not receive a response. According to Liaison McCalister, 16 students have registered for the snow shoveling program and there are 300 seniors on board. Commissioner Son distributed the snow shoveling flyers to the Commissioners and will email a digital version to all. C. Dodgeball Tournament – Chair Son said the October date has passed but the other potential date is on February 16, 2024, an institute day, from 4 – 6pm. She heard from Commissioner Healy who has asked the higher ups at the Park District if this is something they can do at the ARC but has not heard back from Commissioner Healy. Commissioner McQuade has created the flyer. To move forward, Chair Son needs approval on the date, time, and location, as well as assistance with promoting the event, setting up the space, and organizing staff. Chair Son mentioned that The Teen Job Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, 2024 from 6 – 7:30pm. VI. NEW BUSINESS VII. OTHER BUSINESS VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT IX. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Hafeez, seconded by Commissioner Gombar, moved to adjourn at 6:50pm, all concurred and the motion carried unanimously. 3