CEDAR CITY — Cedar City has welcomed its first Youth Council in seven years.

On Wednesday, the city swore in 10 high school juniors to the council. The students’ parents pinned name tags on them and they each shook hands with the mayor, council members and city staff.

Councilmember R. Scott Phillips told Cedar City News the teenagers are bright, involved in their schools and excited. Many already have volunteered for event setup and cleanup.

“After all, these will be the future leaders of either our city or some city,” Phillips said. “Who knows what they’ll end up doing but at some point, some of us won’t be in these positions and there will be new people to come and take our place and we want them to understand that responsibility. And part of being a city and involved in a community is to be involved.”

Cedar City Recorder Renon Savage said that a Youth Council hasn’t been sworn in since 2016.

The 2023 Youth Council members are Andrew Barrick, Hadley Persons, Kathryn Garza, Lydia Smith, William Garza, Lara Sorenson, Braelynn Haley, Sadie Hinck, Brenna Haley and Brenna Haley. The students represent Cedar High School, Canyon View High School and Lighthouse Common Wealth of Iron County, a community school run by homeschooling parents.

The city hopes to teach the Youth Council how government functions and to “look at it from a local perspective,” said Phillips, adding that they will observe the process of passing resolutions and ordinances and what needs to be done to “maintain a safe and well-run city.”

However, Phillips said that he also hopes to learn from the Youth Council about what needs to be done in the community to address young people’s concerns when financially and logistically feasible.

The Youth Council is composed of juniors because the city hopes the experience will help them reach other potential goals before finishing high school, such as running for a class office, Phillips said.

Cedar City Youth Council members will attend at least one City Council meeting per month to ensure they are up-to-date on current goings-on, but a schedule has yet to be determined, Phillips said.

Additionally, each council member is assigned to various city committees, such as the Economic Development Board, and the Youth Council will be asked to consider attending meetings for the committees in which they have an interest. While Phillips will serve as a liaison between the young people and the City Council, he said it’s also important for them to get to know other council members.

“And they will do as much or as little as a council person as they feel comfortable,” he said. “I don’t want this to be a burden in any way. I want it to be a positive experience.”

On Jan. 17, the group will travel to Salt Lake City with Phillips and Cedar City Mayor Garth Green for Local Officials Day at the state legislature, Phillips said. They will attend a luncheon where they can mingle with other youth councils and local officials from across the state.

“And again, just show them how what happens on a local level trickles up to the state level and then, of course, goes on to the federal level,” he said.

Youth Council members will have the opportunity to meet state legislators, which Phillips said could spark their interest in interning or public service.

“We certainly are not trying to make politicians out of these young folks,” he said. “What we want them to do is understand the importance of civic engagement and service to your community.”

William Garza told Cedar City News via text message that he joined the Youth Council to “make an impact in our community.” And he hopes to learn to work with various people and take advantage of leadership opportunities.

Phillips said he wanted to thank the Iron County School District and the Lighthouse Common Wealth of Iron County for recommending students for the city to interview.

“I can tell you that if all the young people across the city are as engaged and as bright and as promising as these young people, we’re in good hands in the future,” he said.

To watch the Cedar City Youth Council swearing in on the council’s YouTube channel, click here.

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