After presenting a list of her ideas to the Milpitas Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Commission during one of their monthly meetings, chair of the Milpitas Youth Advisory Commission (YAC) and junior Rachel Plummer was invited to apply to the Milpitas Youth Advisory Commission (YAC) as a freshman, Plummer said.
YAC was created in 1996 to give young adults a greater role in public policy by advising the city council, according to the City of Milpitas government website.
“As a person under 18, you can only vote on a commision if you’re on the Youth Advisory Commission,” Plummer said. “Other commissions have non-voting positions because you can give feedback and insight, but you’re not an actual member. … I wanted to be able to really vote and have more of a voice than just giving my thoughts for other people to decide.”
The Commission has seven members and two alternates, who can vote if a regular member is absent, according to the Commission bylaws.
This year, the Commission organized the annual YAC Spelling Bee for elementary students, planted a shrub to celebrate Earth Day, and planned a coding competition that did not happen due to a lack of participation, YAC vice chair and freshman Crystal Huang.
“I got the opportunity to emcee both divisions of the (spelling bee) competition,” commissioner and freshman Nia Gupte said. “I’m a little bit more on the shy side, and it just gave me time to overcome that fear of stage fright.”
In December 2022, YAC organized a charity coat drive to donate coats to a women’s shelter, YAC commissioner and senior Natalie Chen said.
“The process kind of opened my eyes on the intricacies within government,” Chen said, “Even though it’s on a city level, it’s still made me see that it’s definitely complicated to get decisions passed.”
Part of the reason Plummer joined YAC is because she has a lot of ideas and is a passionate advocate for disability rights, accessibility, and inclusion of the queer community, she said. She believed working with the city would allow her to join a group of similarly passionate people that would help her ideas come to fruition, she added.
“We don’t want anyone who’s part of our community to feel like they’re not part of it,” Plummer said. “Organizing events and getting people involved — I think that’s a way to really give people a sense of purpose.”
Commissioners can renew their terms each year until they graduate from high school by filling out a form indicating their intention to renew, Gupte said.
According to the City of Milpitas website, positions are open to seventh to 12th-grade students.
“They should go ahead and do it (apply) if they feel like they want to voice their opinion,” YAC commissioner and MHS junior Vanessa Lam said. “Whether it be that they want to work on their own personal communication or just learn more about how the city works or organize events, Youth Commission is really good for that.”
Plummer advises applicants to show they are passionate about being involved in their communities and demonstrate a strong community service basis, Plummer said.
“There will always be people who will never be reached by us,” Plummer said. “We can still help some people. And that’s worth doing.”