The newly elected Officers for the Fairfield Youth Commission attended a training session at the PAL Center on March 4, led by City of Fairfield Youth Development Director, Ms. Heather Sanderson.

To start, it was stressed that the Youth Commission is a representative body. That means that no single commissioner, even the Chair, can act alone.

The role of the Chairperson is to represent, or to appoint a designee, to attend City and County youth events. The Chair also runs the Commission meetings, and makes sure the Roberts Rules of Order and the Brown Act are followed.

When guest speakers participate, the Chairperson makes sure the speakers are familiar with the agenda and answers questions they might have.

The Chair also makes sure the participants are greeted when they arrive, and that they receive a thank you note within one week of their participation.

The role of the Vice Chair is to work closely with the other officers, and keep track of attendance. If any youth commissioner has two or more absences, then the Vice Chair meets with him or her to develop an action plan to increase participation.

The Vice Chair also meets with any commissioner that violates policies related to ethics, the Brown Act, or City of Fairfield policy. The Vice Chair takes on all Chair responsibilities, when the Chairperson is unavailable.

The role of the Secretary is to take notes and submit the minutes for all meetings. Most importantly, the Secretary monitors Youth Commission social media accounts to make sure that committees are updating information regularly.

Lastly, the role of the Treasurer is to track expenses and maintain a record of the budget. The Treasurer keeps track of fund raisers, and provides financial reports on a regular basis.

In order to keep communication strong, the Officers meet on a regular basis, prior to monthly meetings, to discuss the agenda and any unresolved issues.

At the March 5 monthly meeting, Assistant Director, Ms. Liz Teresi, provided an update on the FSUSD California Healthy Kids Survey for middle school and high school students.

These numbers are slightly down from the 35% in 2014. Truancy and safety at schools still remain significant issues. Also of note, the California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program is conducting a study.

Youth ages 16-20 can earn up to $150 if they want to participate in the study. Visit the site: http://www.prev.org/Exposure-Tobacco-Outlets. You will be asked to fill out a confidential online survey about your “tobacco and substance use beliefs and behaviors.”

Lastly, Commissioners will coordinate Focus Groups at the end of March. On March 20, a training will be held to show how to plan and direct Focus Group sessions, and how to set goals for each meeting.