Santa Barbara Youth Council to Host the 2025 Youth Speak Out

The Santa Barbara Youth Council (Youth Council) has been named as one of seven organizations to receive the Fund for Santa Barbara’s South County Youth Making Change Grant. This grant is awarded annually to support youth-led projects impacting young people in Santa Barbara County. The Youth Council, a City of Santa Barbara advisory committee created to give local teens a voice in local government, will use the awarded funding to host the 2025 Youth Speak Out, a workshop encouraging teens to advocate for positive changes in the community.

The Youth Council intends to focus on topics such as participating in environmentally conscious practices, creating safe public spaces for teens, mental health resources for teens, and inclusiveness.

“The 2025 Youth Speak Out will provide a safe space for local teens to share their perspectives and concerns in hopes of creating positive change in the community,” said Youth Councilmember Gwen Chenoweth.

The 2025 Youth Speak Out  will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Louise Lowry Davis Center (111 W. Victoria Street). The event includes a workshop and catered lunch followed by a Q&A session with a panel of local leaders.

In 2023 and 2024, The Youth Council also received funding from the Youth Making Change Grant that was used to fund the Youth Speak Out, bringing together teens with local leaders.  

“This is my first year on the Youth Council, and hearing about everyone’s past positive experience has been so inspiring,” said junior high member Amelia Leonardi “Being involved in planning this year’s event has only made me more excited to see how something like this can bring so many people together and spark so many meaningful conversations.”

This event is open to students in grades 7 through 12.

To register fill out this Registration Form.

For more information, please contact Nicole Morgan at NMorgan@SantaBarbarbaraCA.gov.

For up-to-date information about the event and other Youth Council activities, follow @SantaBarbaraYouthCouncil on Instagram.

About Santa Barbara Youth Council
Established in 1994, the Santa Barbara Youth Council is an advisory committee facilitated by the Parks and Recreation Department to give teens in the Santa Barbara area a voice in local government. The fifteen members of the Youth Council are aged 13 to 19. Each serves a two-year term, advancing youth issues while gaining valuable experience giving back to the community and participating in the public process.

In addition to organizing educational and community-minded events, the Youth Council encourages collaboration among the many local agencies and organizations with youth-oriented missions, promotes youth participation and interest in local issues, and can make recommendations to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Santa Barbara City Council on issues and policies affecting local youth and teens.

Visit SantaBarbaraCA.gov/YouthCouncil for more information.