By Khalida Sarwari
About 300 high school students representing 16 schools in San Jose are participating in a citywide youth conference today to address issues that impact their daily lives.
The San Jose Youth Commission is hosting its third annual conference, designed to educate, empower and inspire students to become leaders in their schools and communities.
As part of today’s conference, the students will hold workshops on environmental awareness, community activism, budgets, teens and the media, peer mentoring, truancy and life skills.
The conference encourages San Jose youths to join their international counterparts for Global Youth Service Day, an annual event in which young people around the world participate in activities that benefit their communities.
The youth commission, modeled after the City Council, is comprised of 11 members between the ages of 14 and 21. The members make policy recommendations concerning young people and serve as an advisory group to the City Council and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services.
Today’s daylong event began at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall. The conference will conclude with a peer-to-peer awards ceremony and a “State of the Youth” address by this year’s youth commissioners at 2 p.m.