FORT PIERCE YOUTH COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
MEETING MINUTES
Fort Pierce Youth Council - Thursday, November 30, 2023 - 4:00 p.m.City Hall - 2nd Floor Conference Room, 100 North U.S. #1, Fort Pierce, Florida
1.
CALL TO ORDER
Vice Chair Iyonee Allen called the meeting to order at 4:08 pm.
2.
ROLL CALL
3.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a.
Approval of 10/26/23 Meeting Minutes
Motion to approve 10/26/23 meeting minutes made by Tyanna Gore and seconded by Reese Adams.
4.
ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Motion to approve the 11/30/23 meeting agenda by Reese Adams and seconded by Tyanna Gore.
5.
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Any person who wishes to comment on any subject on this Agenda may be heard at this time. Please limit your comments to no more than five (5) minutes, as this section of the Agenda is limited to thirty minutes. The Youth Advisory Committee will not be able to take any official action under “Comments from the Public” section.
Any person who wishes to comment on any subject on this Agenda may be heard at this time. Please limit your comments to no more than five (5) minutes, as this section of the Agenda is limited to thirty minutes. The Youth Advisory Committee will not be able to take any official action under “Comments from the Public” section.
6.
OLD BUSINESS
a.
Election of a New Chairperson
Election of a new chairperson
Ms. Audria Moore informed the members that the chairperson position was vacant and requested nominations or volunteers. Deonna Davis was extremely busy at school and could no longer serve as the chairperson.
Veronica Hypolite and Iyonee Allen were nominated.
Ms. Allen received seven (7) votes while Ms. Hypolite did not receive any.
Iyonee Allen was elected as the new chairperson.
Election of new vice chairperson
Ms. Moore requested nominations and volunteers for the vice chairperson position that had become vacant.
Tyanna Gore and Veronica Hypolite both volunteered.
Ms. Gore received five (5) votes and Ms. Hypolite received one (1) vote.
Tyanna Gore was elected as the new vice chairperson.
Ms. Moore advised the members that pursuant to Resolution 19-R43, if a member fails to attend three consecutive meetings, that member will be automatically removed. Unfortunately, 2nd Vice Chair Shayla Hawthorne has missed three consecutive meetings and has been removed from the Youth Council. Furthermore, the resolution prohibits excused absences.
Veronica Hypolite will fill the 2nd Vice Chair position.
Ms. Audria Moore informed the members that the chairperson position was vacant and requested nominations or volunteers. Deonna Davis was extremely busy at school and could no longer serve as the chairperson.
Veronica Hypolite and Iyonee Allen were nominated.
Ms. Allen received seven (7) votes while Ms. Hypolite did not receive any.
Iyonee Allen was elected as the new chairperson.
Election of new vice chairperson
Ms. Moore requested nominations and volunteers for the vice chairperson position that had become vacant.
Tyanna Gore and Veronica Hypolite both volunteered.
Ms. Gore received five (5) votes and Ms. Hypolite received one (1) vote.
Tyanna Gore was elected as the new vice chairperson.
Ms. Moore advised the members that pursuant to Resolution 19-R43, if a member fails to attend three consecutive meetings, that member will be automatically removed. Unfortunately, 2nd Vice Chair Shayla Hawthorne has missed three consecutive meetings and has been removed from the Youth Council. Furthermore, the resolution prohibits excused absences.
Veronica Hypolite will fill the 2nd Vice Chair position.
b.
Youth Award Recognition Program
Ms. Moore informed the members that the program had to be finalized today because it would be launched in January.
Ms. Moore gave a brief summary of the program’s overview and asked the members for feedback on the nominee’s age range. Members suggested that the age range be for middle school and high school students, or grades 6 through 12.
The members discussed the nominee’s eligibility requirements.
Ms. Moore stated that the nomination form will be available online. She asked the members to thoroughly review the form to see if anything needed to be added or removed.
The members recommended that proof of the nominee’s cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher for the first semester be provided. Ms. Moore stated that she would move the age requirement for grades 6 through 12 from overview to eligibility.
The members were asked to go over the questions for the nominators. The questions were reworded as follows: Is there anything else about this nominee that should be taken into consideration? How has the nominee displayed outstanding performance in the nominated award category? Please list any extracurricular activities that the nominee participates in (volunteer work, sports, church, etc.) that relate to the nominated category.
There was discussion about the nomination process, including who can nominate a student and the Youth Council’s role in making recommendations to the City Commission.
The statement regarding photos and videos will be deleted from the form. It will be added to the nomination notification. Photos will be taken of the nominees, so we must ensure that the parents/guardians consent to their child being photographed.
The youth council members suggested that the category award winners receive a gift card, a plaque, or a $500 scholarship. Ms. Moore informed the members that there was no budget to award scholarships. The members talked about first-place winners receiving a $250 scholarship and a medal, and second place receiving a certificate and $20.
Motion to add age requirement from grades 6 to 12 to eligibility, first place winner receiving a $250 scholarship and a medal, and the second place winner receiving a certificate and $20 made by Vice Chair Tyanna Gore and seconded by Janessa Diaz.
Ms. Moore gave a brief summary of the program’s overview and asked the members for feedback on the nominee’s age range. Members suggested that the age range be for middle school and high school students, or grades 6 through 12.
The members discussed the nominee’s eligibility requirements.
Ms. Moore stated that the nomination form will be available online. She asked the members to thoroughly review the form to see if anything needed to be added or removed.
The members recommended that proof of the nominee’s cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher for the first semester be provided. Ms. Moore stated that she would move the age requirement for grades 6 through 12 from overview to eligibility.
The members were asked to go over the questions for the nominators. The questions were reworded as follows: Is there anything else about this nominee that should be taken into consideration? How has the nominee displayed outstanding performance in the nominated award category? Please list any extracurricular activities that the nominee participates in (volunteer work, sports, church, etc.) that relate to the nominated category.
There was discussion about the nomination process, including who can nominate a student and the Youth Council’s role in making recommendations to the City Commission.
The statement regarding photos and videos will be deleted from the form. It will be added to the nomination notification. Photos will be taken of the nominees, so we must ensure that the parents/guardians consent to their child being photographed.
The youth council members suggested that the category award winners receive a gift card, a plaque, or a $500 scholarship. Ms. Moore informed the members that there was no budget to award scholarships. The members talked about first-place winners receiving a $250 scholarship and a medal, and second place receiving a certificate and $20.
Motion to add age requirement from grades 6 to 12 to eligibility, first place winner receiving a $250 scholarship and a medal, and the second place winner receiving a certificate and $20 made by Vice Chair Tyanna Gore and seconded by Janessa Diaz.
c.
2024 FLC Youth Council Legislative Action Days Program - January 30-31, 2024
Ms. Moore informed the members that the program is scheduled for Tuesday, 1/30, and Wednesday, 1/31 in Tallahassee. They would probably leave the day before on Monday. Since there will be no YOCO meeting in December, anyone interested in attending must inform Ms. Moore by 1/7/24.
d.
2024 FLC Municipal Youth Council Community Service Contest
Ms. Moore will discuss this item with the new chairperson before she presents her ideas to the Youth Council.
7.
NEW BUSINESS
8.
COMMITTEE AND STAFF COMMENTS
9.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn by Vice Chair Tyanna Gore and seconded by Janessa Diaz.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 286.26, Florida Statutes, persons with disabilities needing special accommodation to participate in this meeting should contact the City Clerk’s Office at (772) 467-3065 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.