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Revamp aims to rev up Dunedin teen board

By Tamara El-Khoury, Times Staff Writer
In print: Friday, June 27, 2008

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DUNEDIN — Teenagers can be a tough age group to mobilize, city officials have discovered.

When Dunedin leaders created a Youth Advisory Committee in 2003, they envisioned an enthusiastic committee that would serve as a liaison between their peers and the City Commission.

But the board is suffering from low membership and poor turnout at its monthly meetings. They rarely reach their quorum of eight.

Now the board's members are telling the City Commission the group needs a shakeup.

Last week, commissioners approved changes to the group, which is supposed to have 15 teenage members but only has eight:

•The advisory committee will now have nine members instead of 15.

•The group will now meet year-round instead of just during the school year.

•The teens are going to do less advising and more event planning.

•The quorum has been reduced from eight to five.

"Because of commitment of athletics and band and school clubs and other things in teenagers' lives it was hard for us to get eight to a meeting," said Vincent Gizzi, director of leisure services.

Since its inception, the committee has been advisory in nature. Apart from a yearly Battle of the Bands event, which is growing in popularity, the group doesn't organize events. They want to change that.

"We want to do a volleyball tournament and a teen pool party and we're still working on other things," said Leslie Huntley, 17, a four-year member of the committee and a rising senior at Palm Harbor University High School.

Other ideas include organizing a "glow-in-the-dark" miniature golf event and coastal cleanups. Doing more events will help committee members fulfill the community service hours many need to graduate, which would provide an incentive for teens to join, said Jason Seeley, the group's staff advisor and recreation coordinator at the Martin Luther King Jr. recreation center.

"I'd like to see them go out together as a volunteer unit and get that recognition," Seeley said.

Maybe then teens will start asking to join the board instead of being begged, Seeley said.

The group would also like to start meeting during the summer, which they say can help them organize events for earlier in the year.

"You also want a variety of things to do," said new member Lindi Bock, 17, who is a rising senior at Dunedin High School. "It's boring going to the beach every day and doing the same things."

Tamara El-Khoury can be reached at tel-khoury@sptimes.com or (727)445-4181.