Mayor TenHaken Announces 2024–2025 Mayor’s Youth Council
Published on September 23, 2024
Mayor Paul TenHaken has kicked off the 2024–2025 Mayor’s Youth Council, which is an opportunity for current high school juniors and seniors who live in Sioux Falls. This year’s cohort consists of 14 new students and 1 returning student from the 2023–2024 cohort.
“The Mayor’s Youth Council has been a great addition to our city and is something I look forward to every school year. Gaining insight and feedback from the next generation on important topics that affect their futures is so important,” said Mayor TenHaken. “This year’s cohort is once again an impressive reflection of the youth in our community, even recognizing the sheer size and growth with the addition of a student from Harrisburg High School, who lives in Sioux Falls.”
The Mayor’s Youth Council started in the fall of 2021. Applications for the 2024–2025 cohort were accepted the beginning of this year with the students selected early summer. The following students were selected to serve on the Mayor’s Youth Council for the 2024–2025 school year: Daniel Wabwire, Harrisburg High School; Khadidja Mahamed, Jefferson High School; Mayble Devine, Kinley Freese, Adeline Roths, and Xander Winter, Lincoln High School; Yaqob Abebe, Margaret Althoff, and Sophia Santos, O’Gorman High School; Jackson Grasma and Nathan Lewis, Roosevelt High School; Ellie Maddox, Connor McGowan, and Anna Vyn, Sioux Falls Christian, and Linda Landaverry Velasquez, Washington High School.
The Mayor’s Youth Council gives the next generation an opportunity to share input on community issues, learn about City government, build relationships with their peers and City leaders, and develop leadership skills. Throughout the school year, students will attend tours of City facilities, meet with City leaders, and learn the ‘ins and outs’ of how departments work together as One Team to serve the community. The group will tour facilities like the Landfill, the Street Division, the Water Reclamation facility, and the Public Safety Campus.
The Mayor’s Youth Council is led by a core City planning team, which includes Anne Sprecher, Human Resources Assistant; Chad Quissell, Talent Acquisition Coordinator with Human Resources; Lucy Steiger, Teen Programming Librarian at Siouxland Libraries; Officer Michelle Hockett, Sioux Falls Police Department; and Vanessa Gomez, Public Relations and Communications Officer for Mayor TenHaken’s office.
