Chicago Mayor's Youth Commission accepting applications for 2023-24 cohort
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some very adult decisions about our city are made with the help of Chicago teens.
The 32 bright young minds work inside the Mayor's office. CBS 2'S Lauren Victory on Thursday explained their mission and one of their many accomplishments completed this week.
Teens appear in videos produced by the Mayor's Youth Commission. The videos are for teens and by teens, who want people their age to come to an important realization.
"Mental health can often take a backseat in how we lead our lives and that often debilitates us," Anoushka Lal says in one of the videos.
Lal, a youth commissioner from Lincoln Park, isn't in that footage -- and didn't come in front of CBS 2 cameras -- to demand more resources.
She believes what's available for teens seeking help is plentiful.
"If you're a young person looking for mental health care in Chicago, you'd come across an overwhelming list," she said.
The emphasis there is on "overwhelming." The problem for Lal is that too many results pop up.
"It kind of deters you from seeking help for yourself," she said.
Enter the Mayor's Youth Commission.
They're a group of teens from across Chicago that advise adult city leaders - like Mayor Brandon Johnson himself - on how better serve some of our youngest residents.
"Growing up, I never really felt like I was connected with government officials or could really have a say in what policies take place," said Ayan Sayani, youth commissioner from Edgewater.
Faith Townsell, a youth commissioner from North Lawndale, says she believes the city is taking the teenage participants seriously.
Lauren: What gives you confidence that the city actually cares about what you're saying?
Townsell: They are willing, various city departments are willing to come directly to the Mayor's Youth Commission and ask them, 'What can we do better?'"
Higher-ups appear to be listening because the teens were allowed to use city-owned equipment to create mental health awareness videos.
The kids also got permission to re-design part of a city-run youth website called "My CHI. My Future." The page already gets 10,000 to 15,000 unique visitors a month.
The commissioners argue that traffic could benefit from a centralized list of people and places who can help.
"So that way if you type in like 'mental health care Chicago,' you're not confronted with these various resources, you can access a universal landing page," Lal said.
Those are just some of the solutions inside 55 pages of ideas the youth commission recently published. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an executive order to make the pilot project a permanent part of future mayoral administrations.
"That was really, really exciting. It feels also really good to say as a young person, I belong to an official advisory body in the third largest city in America," said Townsell.
After making history in City Hall. Now, it's time to pass the torch to a new crop of commissioners. Applications to join the team are open until July 1.
"I think the biggest thing is open-mindedness and a desire to make a difference," Sayani said.
The new webpage for youth mental health resources just went live this week.
The teen commissioners are working on several other projects involving public safety, education, and neighborhood development.
You can read more of their ideas, watch their video, and find an application through the links below.
