Rose Garden Resident

News

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Youthful Ambition: Terry Reilly was recently appointed to the city's youth commission to represent District 6. The Rose Garden teen hopes to encourage other young people to become politically active.

Rose Garden junior becomes teen voice for District 6

By Monica Heger

District 6 has a new political voice, and it's not one of a newly elected council member. Terry Reilly, a junior at Bellarmine College Preparatory, has been selected to represent District 6 on San Jose's youth commission. The 16-year-old was sworn in Oct. 24.

Despite his short tenure, Terry is already at home in his political position on the commission, as he has a long history of holding leadership roles.

He had experience with the youth advisory council and worked on City Councilman Ken Yeager's political campaign. He is an Eagle Scout and the president of his venture crew, a co-ed outdoor adventure group designed to build leadership skills. Terry is also a member of the speech and debate team.

His main goal as a youth commissioner is to encourage more young people to become involved in local politics.

"So many people are really not aware that [the youth advisory council] actually exists," Terry said. "Part of our duty as youth commissioners is to get people involved. The youth advisory council is a great organization. It provides a direct outlet between the youth of District 6 and the city of San Jose."

There is one youth commissioner from each district plus one at-large representative, for a total of 11. They serve three-year terms. Commissioners must be between the ages of 14 and 20 and live in the district they represent. They attend monthly meetings and make recommendations to the city council based on input from the youth advisory councils. They also make recommendations to the parks, recreation and neighborhood services department about youth programs and activities.

Any middle or high school youth in the district is eligible to serve on the youth advisory council. The youth commissioner, in this case Terry, serves as the head of the council and makes recommendations to the city council as well as the other youth commissioners about youth issues.

Terry said few young people are involved in local politics because there is a lack of awareness. He believes few people are aware of the youth commission or the youth advisory council. He also cited the size of San Jose and even of District 6 as a deterrent.

"It's kind of intimidating because District 6 is so big," Terry said.

However, he said that there are some important issues coming up that the youth should be concerned about, such as the recent opening of the library in the Rose Garden and the planning in the works for the new community center and library on Bascom Avenue.

Terry said he wants to hold events, such as a movie night, to try and encourage the youth of his district to become more involved in the community.

"As a youth, I have the responsibility to have an active voice," Terry said. "[Youths] can make the place they live a better place."

For more information about the youth commission, visit sanjoseca.gov/clerk/ CommissionBoard/Youth.asp.