The Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) is now accepting applications through Friday, June 11th 2010

The Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) is now accepting applications through Friday, June 11th 2010.  Please forward this announcement to any youth or youth serving organizations in Washington State that may be interested in the Legislative Youth Advisory Council and other civic engagement opportunities.

The Council members’ goal is to “ensure the Council members represent the diverse population of Washington State residents,” so please share this application widely.

Established by the Washington Legislature in 2005, the Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) is the formal voice for Washington youth in the State Legislature.  The twenty-two member Council serves as the link between young people and the state government.  The Council is authorized to meet between three and six times per year and, with sufficient funding, is administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) through a partnership with the Legislature and the Office of Lieutenant Governor.  Participation on the Council is a unique opportunity for young people to intimately observe and experience the legislative process through an interactive lesson in civic engagement and activism.  Rather than learning from a book about how a bill becomes a law, Council members participate in the creation of public policy.

Council members must be between the ages of 14-18 at the time of appointment. 

For more information on the Council, visit the Council’s website at http://lyac.leg.wa.gov or view video footage of the Council in action through TVW’s Engaged: Students Becoming Citizens series.  The Lieutenant Governor’s Office also distributed a press release regarding LYAC this morning (see press release below).

Please e-mail lyac@leg.wa.gov with any questions, or contact Kelly Martin at the information below.  The application and other information about the Council is also available online through the Lieutenant Governor’s website (http://ltgov.wa.gov/YouthandCommunities/LYAC/default.html) or on OSPI’s Social Studies website (http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/LYAC/default.aspx).