TEMPE, AZ — Students on the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council are stepping up to make a difference in their community.
On Tuesday morning, Tempe teens will share their concerns on issues impacting their lives and propose solutions to peers and city leaders.
The event, known as Tempe Youth Talks, is expected to gather nearly 200 people at Marcos de Niza High School to discuss key issues impacting local youth, like mental health, environmental justice, diversity, and safety.
Put on by the Tempe Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, students will deliver TEDx-style presentations followed by a panel with community experts in the topics they will discuss.
The audience will include high school and middle school students, school board members, business leaders, city agencies, and the mayor.
One of the student organizers expressed hope that the event will inspire more young people to engage with local issues.
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"I want them to understand that, at the end of the day, even though it may feel that as a youth, you might be kind of powerless in a lot of spheres, there's always a lot that you can do if you just have true passion for it. So I hope that in some of our items, they find inspiration," said
Rati Tabatadze of the Tempe Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission.
Last year, the event covered topics such as sustainability, access to mental health resources, and homelessness among youth. A small survey by the council revealed that 60% of students knew someone who was either unhoused or food insecure. According to the Maricopa County 2024 Point in Time Count, there were 1,300 unhoused children under the age of 17 in the county.
This year, the discussions will expand to cover some similar topics to years past but also others, like fast fashion.
"We're all online, we're all trying to shop, and we're all really concerned about looking good, putting on the best clothes. But obviously, I think we—the collection of people that we have in the commission—are people that try to look at all of these issues in a more nuanced way," Tabatadze added.
The Tempe Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission has been active since the 1980s and meets twice monthly. The commission encourages other Tempe teens to get involved. Additional events are planned, including one focused solely on mental health.
For more information on the council and how to participate, visit the City of Tempe's website.
