Applications open for 2024-2025 Mayor’s Youth Commission

Gabriel Castillo
·2 min read
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CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson is calling on teens in the city to represent their communities and peers through the Mayor’s Youth Commission.

Applications are now open for the 2024-2025 Youth Commission, which will be made up of 40 young people between the ages of 14 and 19.

Youth commissioners will have the chance to offer input on youth-focused city initiatives, projects, events and policies during monthly meetings and will also receive a yearly $850 stipend for their work.

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“One of my top priorities as Mayor is to listen to and engage with young people directly about not just the challenges they face, but also their hopes and aspirations for their futures,” Mayor Johnson said in a news release on Monday. “Through the Youth Commission, I can hear from young people about how the policies we are putting forward impact them. The insights of our young people are invaluable as we continue to put forward an agenda that works for all Chicagoans.”

According to the mayor’s office, youth commissioners will be assigned to one of the following working groups, based on their interests:

  • Community Safety

  • Education

  • Public Health

  • Neighborhood Development

The mayor’s office said youth commissioners will work collaboratively with others in their working groups on a project to propose what it called a “new idea,” that will come in the form of a policy, program or initiative to solve a problem that impacts other young people in the city.

Those who are chosen for the commission will also plan and host community meetings, community service events and a summer youth summit.

In 2023, the mayor expanded the number of available spots on the commission, from 32 to 40, and increased the annual stipend by $350

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“Young people are not a monolithic group; they bring a diversity of perspectives and experiences from different neighborhoods across our city,” Deputy Mayor Jen Johnson said. “We know there are young leaders in every community, and we want them to apply for the Youth Commission. Because Mayor Johnson expanded the commission to 40 spots last year, we have more space for underrepresented young people to become commissioners and help us plot a path forward where every

young person has the resources that they need to thrive.”

The 40 members of the commission will be selected through a rigorous application process and the window to submit an application closes on Saturday, June 15.

Visit the MyChiFuture website for more information on the Mayor’s Youth Commission or to learn how to submit an application.

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