MYC Celebrates 25 Years of Inspiring Public Policy & Advocating for Transformational Change

News Article
Three MYC members speak during a public meeting with local leaders
Multnomah Youth Commission Seeks Applications from Next Generation to Participate in Local Government
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Media Contacts:

Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

Daniel.McArdle-Jaimes@portlandoregon.gov

(503) 865-6661

Ben Duncan

benjamin.e.duncan@multco.us

(503) 988-9090

Wednesday, March 31,2021

Multnomah Youth Commission Celebrates 25 Years of Inspiring Public Policy & Advocating for Transformational Change

Multnomah Youth Commission Seeks Applications from Next Generation to Participate in Local Government

PORTLAND, Ore.— The Multnomah Youth Commission (MYC) is the official youth-led advisory body for both Multnomah County and the City of Portland. MYC members are between the ages of 13 to 21 and work to influence policy and positive perceptions of youth. The City of Portland's Office of Community & Civic Life (Civic Life) and Multnomah County Chair’s Office of Diversity and Equity share support for the advisory body.

“MYC has further fueled my passion for social change and justice by providing me an opportunity to discuss and influence policy change, said MYC Co-Chair Tsiyon Geremew. “MYC offers youth a glimpse of what justice looks like by allowing us to work alongside local government staff to shape more inclusive and socially equitable policies for our future.”

Since 1996, MYC has trained and activated 479 youth as they grow leadership skills and build civic engagement power to take ownership of the region’s outlook. 

Last year, the MYC creatively (and virtually) tackled a variety of policies and civic engagement initiatives including voter education, transit equity, and anti-violence.

“Each year the MYC inspires government to evolve and they are continuously at the forefront of innovative and equitable policy change and social transformation,” said Civic Life Youth Development Coordinator Andrea Marquez. “With today’s social justice movement, the MYC is working toward ending oppressive systems through research and putting forward thoughtful solutions which point toward building more inclusive and equitable communities. We are really proud of MYC’s work and legacy.”

According to the City of Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan, Portland’s success depends on achieving broad community prosperity – specifically upward mobility for lower-income households and closing the racial income gaps. The success of this 2035 plan relies on the work of our next generation, and MYC satisfies this as Civic Life and Multnomah County’s Office of Diversity and Equity work together to build broader, intensified and more inclusive engagement with local youth.

“The MYC is unquestionably influential in the planning for how Portland and the region will look in 2035,” said Civic Life Director Suk Rhee. “Their three focus areas—education, transit and environmental advocacy, and anti-violence—are vital. They are transforming our region to become more inclusive, reflective, equitable, resilient, and prosperous.”

The work of the MYC is diverse and far reaching. They recently worked in partnership with NextUp and other youth organizations to publish a survey on the impacts of COVID-19 on youth, advocated for Metro to refer a transportation measure to the 2020 ballot, and partnered with local organization Word Is Bond to conduct research on how youth of color perceived law enforcement. MYC members reached more than 500 youth, primarily youth of color, by way of listening sessions and surveys. The MYC summarized the survey findings and provided youth-created solutions shared with several City and County governmental organizations.

"The Multnomah Youth Commission has demonstrated incredible capacity to take on the issues of our time. Their work related to criminal justice, serving on policy tables, conducting independent research, and crafting vision for a community that better serves and responds to the needs of youth has been critical to reform efforts,” said Ben Duncan, Chief Diversity and Equity Officer at Multnomah County. “The work they did to assist with COVID-19 response this past year reflected a nimbleness and willingness to serve through crisis. And the roles they play in lifting up authentic youth-adult partnership, helping to inform and transform the ways that government works alongside and in service with and for young people, is incredibly valuable and something our entire community should be proud of."

“Good governance is ensuring that we are taking into account all voices from every walk of life—and this means investing in our youth’s ability to participate in government,” said Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. “Throughout history, social justice change has been driven by youth led movements and advocacy. As we emerge from this pandemic, we have an opportunity to rethink Portland’s future to ensure we live in a more equitable city for all. Listening to the voices of our youth and the future they envision will be a key part of that effort.  The time for equitable change and action-oriented government is now—and that’s why I’m excited to support the MYC in their pursuit in building adaptive governance and inclusive structures for our next generation of leaders and the Portlanders they will serve.”

MYC energizes Portlanders toward increased equity, volunteerism, and inclusive civic engagement

From ensuring that every voice was counted in the 2020 census to transforming the way in which Portlanders want the City to govern over the next 10 years, there are hundreds of stories of how MYC members and MYC alumni continue to directly influence our region. Here are a few stories:


Black and white portrait of MYC co-chair Tsiyon Geremew

Tsiyon Geremew | Co-Chair, Multnomah Youth Commission

Tsiyon Geremew is a student, current MYC co-chair and aspiring lawyer. She joined MYC to better understand civic engagement. Geremew works regularly with 31 MYC members to work on policy ideas and create programs for youth engagement. In 2020, she helped host several programs including the Youth Forum on the Intersections of Racial Justice, the Economic Crisis, the Climate Crisis & COVID-19.

“MYC has pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me build many skills and confidence in myself,” said Geremew. “Joining MYC has been a great opportunity where I can be part of an inclusive community of civic-minded Portlanders to make change happen!”


Black and white portrait of Blanca Gaytan Farfan

Blanca Gaytan Farfan | Director of Programs, East County Rising Community Projects

Blanca Gaytan Farfan worked on the #WeCountOregon census campaign to intentionally seek and increase the participation of “hard-to-count” communities in East Multnomah County and across the state. Gaytan Farfan connected with more than 12,400 people, including people of color, children under five, renters, immigrants, people with limited English proficiency, Native tribal, urban communities, disabled people, and LGBTQIA+ individuals who had not participated in the census in the past. She is also a member of City of Portland’s New Portlanders Policy Commission and Chair of the Advocacy and Education Committee.

“I joined the MYC as a teenager because I wanted the opportunity to serve my community, but more importantly I wanted to learn how government systems worked and understand the power communities have to advocate for changes we needed to see.”


Black and white portrait of Bryan Lewis

Bryan William Lewis | Board President, Community Rights US

Commissioner Bryan Lewis is Board President of Community Rights US; member of NAACP Portland, Oregon Chapter; and serves as a Precinct Committee Person (PCP) in Multnomah County. He’s an accomplished activist and union organizer with Service Employees International Union (SEIU 503) and member of Communication Workers of America, local 7901 (CWA 7901). He also helped to bolster the passing of National Popular Vote Oregon.

Lewis was 13 when he joined the MYC and was a member for nine years through age 21, where it fed his passion for student and campus organizing. Bryan is interested in Permaculture, Ecofeminism, and new and emerging social movements which is why he helped to found the national nonprofit, Community Right s US. More recently, Bryan is serving on the City of Portland’s Charter Commission where he and nineteen other Portlanders are tasked in reviewing and recommending amendments to the City of Portland Charter.

“The lived experience at MYC and as co-chair gave me defining leadership opportunities that helped shape my career aspirations and allowed me to serve the community in a more tangible way,” recalls Lewis. “As a teenager, most of my volunteering was with my parents and grandmother. When I was 13, I continued my family’s value of volunteering by joining the MYC. That experience helped me feel as if I was helping to make our community more viable by working through local government. Today, I serve on the City of Portland’s Charter Commission to help further the people’s will, that self-governance is not just an aspiration but at the local level especially is the means to our betterment.”


How to apply to serve on the MYC

The MYC is looking for youth, youth organizers, teachers, counselors, schools, youth-serving services, programs, and organizations to help us reach and develop leadership and community development pipelines for Portland’s future.

Applications are due by Friday, April 16 at 5 p.m. For MYC application details, please visit www.ourcommission.org/apply.

To learn more about Multnomah Youth Commission, please visit their website.

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The Office of Community & Civic Life (Civic Life) connects the people of Portland with their City government to promote the common good. Our programs create a culture of collaboration, expanding possibilities for all Portlanders to contribute their knowledge, experience, and creativity to solve local problems and make life better in the city we all share. www.portlandoregon.gov/civic/

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