Youth Engagement Opportunities with Anne Arundel County

To encourage and preserve youth engagement in Anne Arundel County, this webpage will act as a resource for young people to explore different opportunities to develop and expand their advocacy, leadership, and team building skills in their communities. In addition to the County Executive’s Youth Advisory Council and Youth Corps, other opportunities will be added to this page below as we learn about them.

Youth Advisory Council

The Youth Advisory Council, first formed in August 2020, is a group of Anne Arundel County students who meet directly with the County Executive's Office monthly to discuss and create strategies that address issues important to them. For more information about the Youth Advisory Council, please click the link below.

Youth Advisory Council Page

Youth Corps

The Youth Corps was established by Executive Order on August 17, 2020 and is open to anyone under the age of 23 who is interested in engaging with county government and the community to make Anne Arundel County The Best Place - For All.

The purpose of the Youth Corps is to share input and ideas with the County Executive. Members will receive communications from the County Executive’s Office and invitations to participate in special events and learning experiences. Members of the Youth Advisory Council and County Executive interns are automatically members of the Youth Corps. 

If you are interested in joining the Youth Corps, please click on the registration button below.

Join the Youth Corps

Other Opportunities to Get Involved

New opportunities will be added as we learn about them.  Please check this page frequently. Brief descriptions and contact information are provided. 

• AACPD Minority Youth Advisory Council
• Internship in the County Executive’s Office
• Anne Arundel County Youth Vlog / Oral Histories
• Severn Intergenerational Center Planning Team
• South County Bridges Coalition Game of Life Project
• Youth and Mental Health Programs through the Department of Health

AACPD Minority Youth Advisory Council

This is a new initiative of the Anne Arundel County Police Department. They plan to recruit members for the AACPD Minority Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) in September 2020.

The MYAC, which will be composed of minority youth ages 14-18 who are enrolled in Anne Arundel County schools, will focus on education, advocacy, and service to the community by providing input on what they view as needs, gaps in services, and effective ways to affect change. Council members will create advocacy projects in the community to help address the needs as they see them. Potential projects include creating a social media campaign on topics of their choice, making recommendations to elected officials and other decision-makers, and serving as credible messengers within their own community forums.

The Council will provide input on strategies to improve:

• Diversion efforts
• School-based offenses 
• Community relations

Members will also learn about restorative practices, trauma, substance abuse prevention, mental health, and other issues important to communities of color. 

Meetings will be held monthly for approximately two hours in the evening, under the supervision of the Department’s Juvenile/Victim Assistance Program Director and one or two police officers. 
In addition to learning research, communication, advocacy, and teamwork skills, students may be provided with service hours for their time.

Internship in the CE’s Office

The County Executive’s Internship Program is designed to identify and develop the talents of undergraduate and graduate students. In some cases, high school seniors may be invited to participate. The program provides students with an opportunity to experience the fast-paced nature of a professional office, to build contacts and relationships, to experience the role of public service in communities, and to develop new knowledge and skills that may give direction to their professional lives.

The office typically hosts two unpaid interns each semester.  Visit https://www.aacounty.org/departments/personnel/employment-information/internship-program/ for more information and to download the application.

Anne Arundel County Youth Vlog / Oral Histories

This initiative, created in July 2020, encourages young people to explore their local history, not in a classroom or lecture hall, but through the stories and recollections of their friends, families and communities.  Participants will conduct oral histories with older people, write narrative stories, and have their work published through the County Executive’s Office.  

If you enjoy writing or are interested and learning and sharing history, reach out to us. This is an ongoing project and there is no application deadline.

Severn Community Center

Plans for the new Severn Community Center are being discussed now. This new community center will be located adjacent to Van Bokkelen Elementary School on Reece Road. 
The facility will serve as a location for the Boys and Girls Club and a Senior Center, as well as a community center for residents living in the surrounding area. Four committees are looking for the youth perspective. 

You must reside in the Arundel or Meade feeder system to participate, and can join one or more of the following committees. 

The names and contact information for the committee chairs are below:

Department of Health: Youth and Mental Health Summit

Each month, the Department of Health’s Health Equity Group will sponsor a “Power of Change” youth summit.

August 15, 2020
This month, the focus is on financial literacy.  It’s not too late to register and participate. For more information, contact Krystle Coldiron at [email protected]

September 30, 2020
In September, the summit will address mental wellness during a pandemic.  Are you interested in sharing your views? The Department of Health is looking for participants to share their experiences in this era of COVID-19. The goal of this summit is to provide youth with a mental wellness tool kit. 

If you wish to participate as a speaker or would like more information about the monthly youth summits, contact Catherine Gray (see contact information below).

South County Bridges Coalition “Game of Life” Video Game Project

Calling on Anne Arundel County youth who want to design a video game AND inform people while doing so. 

We need help designing an interactive and text-based create-your-own-adventure computer game. The game will simulate a first-person perspective as the player makes life decisions, with the goal of earning the final rank of “elder”. Examples of life decisions can include, but are not limited to bullying, friendship dilemmas, “firsts” in life, etc. This game will be posted on a page of the Health Department’s substance abuse prevention website. Find out more information about text-based adventure games. 

What will you be doing? It depends on your interest and skills. The department is looking for youth who have skills in:

• creative writing to set scenes, describe decision-making scenarios
• puzzles, brain teasers, fun mini-games
• art, graphics

.... and who are willing to share:

• their own thoughts and ideas about the decisions they face- especially in middle and high school 
• their thoughts and ideas about consequences- learning from past experiences, etc.
• opinions about what makes games fun and interesting

This one might fill up fast, so reach out to Mindi soon.