The Aberdeen City Council wants to infuse its dais with youth, and it will do so with a student representative and an alternate who sits with them.

The representative will attend workshops and city council meetings. They’ll need to read the city council agenda packet so “they may be informed and be able to participate in council discussions,” city documents state.

The student will be able to engage in the discussions but they will not have a vote, nor will they be allowed to sit in on executive sessions.

But it will take a little while to select the Aberdeen High School junior or senior student to fill the unpaid representative seat and alternate seat. The city is accepting applications through Sept. 30. After the application reviewing process completes, they’ll then interview candidates on Oct. 7 and then swear in the student city council representative at the Oct. 23 city council meeting. They will serve a one-year term “with the possibility of an extended year for juniors,” city documents state.

The student must live within Aberdeen School District, or inside Aberdeen city limits. The student must also meet “general academic eligibility requirements as prescribed by the district,” according to city documents.

Sydney Swor, Aberdeen City Council president, said she thinks having a student representative and alternate will benefit the students because the seat will offer applied learning for the students.

“You can teach a civics class, or required civics class all day long,” Swor said. “But lived experience, getting the opportunity to get there and be in the room is going to make all the difference. I loved my civics class, but it doesn’t mean that I remember everything from it. I probably would have had a way easier time doing that had I been invited to sit in the room.”

The students will also be able to address concerns they have.

“I believe they would have the ability to bring it up the same as any other council member would, just the same as any other constituent could bring it up to a seated council member and ask for something to be presented to the council.”

And in addition to that example of this not being just for show, the student representative position goes deeper. Swor doesn’t want their voice to be “stifled.”

“They will absolutely be heard out,” Swor said. “Given it’s essentially my job to oversee that, they can rest assured they will be heard.”

Expectations

The alternate student representative is “encouraged to attend workshops and council meetings as an audience member and shall attend at least one meeting per month,” according to city documents. “The alternate will serve as the student representative in the absence of the student representative.”

In case of an excused absence, both positions are supposed to contact the deputy city clerk.

In addition to city council meetings and workshops, the students’ attendance at town halls and “other council activities is encouraged but not required.”

Here are a few of the responsibilities for the position:

Attend and participate in city council workshops and meetings twice per month

Provide insights and feedback on issues affecting young people in Aberdeen

Collaborate with other councilors to develop and support initiatives that benefit the community

Serve as a liaison between Aberdeen High School students and the city council

Observe how city government functions

In order to apply, interested students are to submit applications, which include a one-page cover letter outlining interest in the position and how they plan to contribute to the city council.

“If the student is involved in community extracurricular activities, they should explain their involvement in the cover letter,” the documents state.

In addition to the cover letter, the interested applicants must submit a resume of no more than two pages.

One important note, is once an application packet is filed with the city, it becomes public record and is available to the public upon request.

Swor spoke about the main reason for having such a position for students.

“The basis of it is that we’re hoping to inspire them to want to get involved,” Swor said. “It’s no secret that I’m the youngest person on the council. I think part of what this is aiming to do is show people that they don’t have to wait so long to get involved, (that they can) get involved at a younger age.”

Swor said she found a TED Talk that helped her when she was campaigning in 2023 and preparing for her city council position.

“(The TED Talk) was given by a young man who decided to run for local, city government when he was either 21 or 22 (years-old), Swor said. “He won a seat on his local city council. Almost everything he talked about are some of the same things I’ve faced here. I think it’s important that we change that pattern, we change that narrative that you have to wait and that you can’t possibly get involved under the age of 35, let alone 45, 50. We sit here and we complain about the circumstances around us and we’re not willing to take action. But if we can demonstrate for them that taking action isn’t always as drastic as it may seem, maybe we’ll see more of it. Maybe we can really inspire those people to understand that it’s their responsibility to shape the community that they want to live in. I think that’s really the end target.”

Swor referenced something she’s said to Grays Harbor Young Professionals since she helped start it, and it’s about a misconception about Grays Harbor that she’s heard about since she was in school.

“The narrative is you have to leave in order to build something of yourself,” Swor said. “You can’t possibly build a career here in Grays Harbor, let alone the city of Aberdeen, and it’s nonsense. It’s a fallacy and it shouldn’t be, these kids shouldn’t believe that. If we can find any other way that I can participate and show them that, I will do it. I’ll be at the high school this week to talk to the kids about career paths that are available to them locally so that maybe, just maybe I can save them some college application fees.”

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.