City youth have first meeting to give input to local government

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Student Voice Alliance had its first official meeting at City Hall Wednesday.

The group was created to get more youth input on local government and consists of 15 students from all St. Joseph High Schools. 

City Manager Mike Schumacher said this meeting was going deeper into the topics the students want to discuss. 

“Letting them know what’s ahead, we're going to kind of formalize the meeting. To tell them, look anywhere you want to be engaged with the city of St. Joe and Buchanan County was also present,” he said. “They're more than welcome to do so. We embraced that. We look forward to working together with them and learning from them. They are our future.” 

The ideas discussed included addressing homelessness, beautifying downtown, cleaning up city parks, expanding youth entertainment and organizing a summer festival.

The students will sit at the front of the council chambers, similar to where the mayor and council members sit during city council meetings.

Additionally, Schumacher said the student meetings will be structured similarly to City Council meetings.

“Every city and government kind of runs that way. It’s just to maintain order and to keep the flow of the meeting moving forward,” he said.

Schumacher also said every session with the students has been fantastic. 

“I’m just so eager to learn from them, and I know our elected officials are,” he said. “Once again, the Student Voice Alliance represents the future of St. Joe, and we want to make sure they are heard and that their input is valued as we continue to move the city forward.”

The next meeting will be held in March, though an official date has not been set yet.