On Wednesday morning, members of the Genesee County Youth Commission toured the Genesee County Jail and the Historic 7th Circuit Courthouse in Downtown Flint. The group met with Judge Mary Hood and Judge Khary Hanible as well as Prosecutor David Leyton to learn more about the functions of the legal system in Genesee County.

The group returned to the Genesee County Administration Building to hear presentations from several county departments, including Parks and Recreation, Health, Planning, and finally from our Clerk-Register, Domonique Clemons and Board Chairman Dale K. Weighill.

“Genesee County’s future depends on how well we connect with the next generation,” Chairman Weighill said. “Our mission is to serve residents and strengthen communities, and I want every young person in Genesee County to understand that their voice matters and their involvement makes our county better.”

The Genesee County Board of Commissioners and Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development program have partnered to create this commission as an advisory group to the Board of Commissioners.  The Youth Commissioners, one from each of the nine commissioner districts, meet twice monthly from January through June to learn about Genesee County and ultimately present one big idea to the Board to make a positive impact on the county’s residents. The group is led by Darren Bagley, who is tasked with Youth Leadership, Civic and Cultural Engagement for Michigan State University Extension.

Derek Bradshaw, the Director of Planning, encouraged the students to think big, to not feel constrained by what has or has not been done in the past.

He told the students about the Youth Commission’s last proposal, which focused on environmental health in Genesee County.

“This may surprise some of you, but elements of the proposal brought to the Board of Commissioners last year by our Youth Commission were actually included in our Recycling and Education Center project,” he said.

The Youth Commission will return in late spring to make a formal proposal to the Board of Commissioners during a regular meeting.