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Twyla Ware remembers the moment she realized her voice could make a difference in local government.
Residents feared a developer’s proposal for a 34-story complex would cut off sunlight from plants in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Then a middle schooler, Ware gathered some of her friends to sign petitions against the project and meet with local officials.
Spurred in part by local community action, city officials ultimately rejected the developer’s rezoning proposal.
Now a high school senior, Ware is one of the youngest community board members in the city, serving on Brooklyn’s Community Board 9, which includes Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens.
Several of the city’s borough presidents — who are responsible for appointing community board members — are trying to expand the representation of young people on community boards, which weigh in on such issues as neighborhood rezonings and budget items. City residents are eligible to serve on their district’s boards starting at age 16.
These efforts come as civics education has also been growing. In recent years, state and city education officials and advocates have sought to expand opportunities for civics education, including the launch of a youth-led “Youth Civics Hub” and the creation of a “seal of civic readiness” option for high school diplomas. More than 4,500 students across New York City schools earned the seal last year, according to city education officials. That was up from roughly 2,300 the year before.
Since joining her community board, Ware has served on the youth and education committee, as well as the environmental committee. She’s helped to plan Black History Month events for students, organize community cleanups along Nostrand Avenue, and conduct outreach about new trash pickup rules in the neighborhood.
Ware added the work has allowed her to grow closer to her own community.
“It’s been a really rewarding experience,” said Ware, who attends Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn. “I can walk down the streets and I actually know people. I can stop and wave and say hi, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Borough presidents seek to elevate youth voices
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso has been one voice leading the effort to get teens on community boards, asking the office’s youth council what would attract them to the work and spreading the word about the application process over social media and the city’s LinkNYC kiosks.
For Reynoso, expanding the diversity of voices on local community boards has been an important goal of his tenure.
“It can be a frustrating experience having to navigate institutions in our city — like libraries, schools, roads, hospitals, parks — and feeling like you have no say in what things look like, how things progress, and how things change,” he said. “We want to hear directly from young people, not through surrogacy.”
Last year, his office appointed six high schoolers across the 18 local community boards in Brooklyn.
In Manhattan, 15 of the members on the borough’s 12 community boards were 16- or 17-years-old, with an additional six 18-year-old members, a spokesperson for Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said.
To garner more interest, the office has conducted outreach at schools, parent association meetings, and education councils.
This year, the Manhattan Borough President’s office also outfitted LinkNYC kiosks with a youth-oriented campaign to get more community board applicants. One sign, for example, featured a bright green album with the text, “from brat summer to cb spring” — tapping into the viral trend inspired by British singer Charli XCX’s “Brat” album last year.
The office also operates a Manhattan Future Leaders Fellowship, allowing 29 high school juniors and seniors to gain experience in city government this year.
“Youth voices play a key role in our communities, and they should play a key role in shaping our future,” Levine said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in Queens, two members across the borough’s 14 community boards were younger than 20-years-old.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has “made a concerted effort overall to diversify community board membership, including by making it younger,” said Michael Scholl, a spokesperson for the borough president. The office has conducted outreach over social media and at local high schools, encouraging young people to get involved.
Applications for community board seats are due Feb. 14 in Brooklyn and Queens, and Feb. 28 in Manhattan. Bronx applicants must apply by March 9, while the Staten Island application page did not list a due date.
Spokespeople for the Bronx and Staten Island borough presidents’ offices did not respond to a request for comment.
Other NYC opportunities for youth civic engagement
Community boards aren’t the only local governing bodies that high school students can join.
The city’s 32 school districts each have their own Community Education Council, or CEC, representing local prekindergarten through eighth grade students at Education Department-run schools. There are also four citywide councils: for high schoolers, students learning English as a new language, students with disabilities, and District 75 schools, which serve students with the most complex disabilities.
Though the majority of seats on those councils are determined through parent elections, each CEC also has one or two non-voting seats reserved for high school seniors, though many boards are out of compliance with that mandate. (Those spots are determined by the district superintendents.)
Currently, 18 students are serving across 12 education councils, according to city officials.
Being a teen on these governing boards can come with challenges. Ware, the Community Board 9 member, said it hasn’t always been easy being the lone student voice on the board. Still, Ware encouraged fellow students to apply for seats on their local boards.
“Trust yourself and your voice,” she said.
Julian Shen-Berro is a reporter covering New York City. Contact him at jshen-berro@chalkbeat.org
