At the February 19th Special Presentations, Vice Mayor Patricia Fairclough-Staggers recognized the Mayor’s Youth Council, which won an award for excellence in video and communication as part of the 2019 Florida League of Cities (FLC) Municipal Youth Council Video Competition. Vice Mayor Fairclough-Staggers serves as liaison to the Mayor’s Youth Council.
Homestead is one of six municipal youth councils from cities throughout the state to be recognized by FLC. Now in its eight year, the annual video competition provides a way for Florida’s youth councils to showcase their ideas, creativity and commitment to their communities. The competition’s topics correlate with the annual theme of Florida City Government Week, My City: I’m Part of It, I’m Proud of It.
Vice Mayor Fairclough-Staggers introduced Jonathan Amarillo and Ron Peters, FLC representatives, who were there to talk about the competition and present the award. Amarillo explained, “The weeklong campaign helps educate the public about what local government does and how it directly impacts them. The Homestead Mayor’s Youth Council did a great job answering these questions, along with sharing the great job your Council does.”
The group’s six-minute video, “We Are Homestead,” addressed two topics: how they are part of the City of Homestead and why they are proud of their community. Wearing their official red shirts, eight members of the Mayor’s Youth Council were present for the award presentation. Members of the Mayor’s Youth Council include: Alexandra Garcia, Adam Latiff, Vanshi Patel, Javier Kowalchuk, Nicole Abreu, Anshika Motiani, Sasha Farid, Cheyenne Martinez, Jazzlyn Bracamontes, Maximo Valdes, Rachel Abreu, Miranda Cruz, Tyler Cruz and Maddox Martinez.
Presenting the group with a trophy and a check for $250, Amarillo noted, “I want to say a special thank you to the staff and city officials who’ve put so much time into making an exemplary youth council.”
Vice Mayor Fairclough-Staggers noted, “It has truly been an honor for me to work alongside the Youth Council for the past eight years. It is encouraging to see that we have these teens in our community who are committed to serving as a voice for the youth in our community. And, they continue to push themselves to win these statewide competitions to bring that recognition to the city of Homestead. This is an award-winning youth council and we should all be grateful for what they do to propel our city forward.”
