Quick Facts
About the Mayor’s Youth Corps (MYC)
How was the Mayor’s Youth Corps started?
The Youth Corps was a campaign
promise of Mayor Pam Iorio. Believing that young people possess leadership
skills and need to have a voice in the community, she formed the Mayor’s Youth
Corps. The first group of 40 students served in 2004.
What are the basic elements of the Youth Corps?
The basics each year include:
-
Community service,
-
Open forums with the Mayor,
-
Production of a youth-oriented television
show, “From the Corps,” on CTTV, and
-
Leadership 101 classes.
Who can apply for Mayor’s Youth Corps?
Any student in 9th, 10th or 11th grade who attends a
public or private high school within the city limits may apply.
How many students serve
on MYC?
Forty students are chosen annually to serve one calendar year.
Do MYC students receive
community service credit at their schools?
Students who attend Hillsborough County Public Schools receive credit for each
contact hour they have at MYC activities. Private school students sometimes have
different rules for the type of service that qualifies. The Youth Corps office
maintains records of service hours for all students.
Why can’t MYC members
serve more than one year?
The program is designed to expose as many students as possible to this
experience. Students who wish to remain involved may apply for a position on the
Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council. What will the Mayor’s
Youth Leadership Council do?
The council will serve as mentors to the incoming Class of 2007 students,
participate in Leadership 201, assist with the production of “From the Corps”
and continue ongoing projects, such as What Kids Can Do, the HIV/AIDS Task
Force, etc. Aside from community
service, forums and the TV show, what does MYC do?
MYC members have the opportunity to attend Town Hall meetings, the Mayor’s
senior staff meeting and City Council meetings. They study our “strong-mayor”
form of government.
Each year four members appear on the” Mayor’s Hour” on CTTV.
The MYC also serve as ambassadors at various functions including the Workforce
Board Scholarship Event, the RiverWalk Press Conference, the Neighborhood Fair,
the Hispanic Scientist of the Year, etc. We also have 18 members serving on the school district’s HIV/AIDS Task Force.
What is included in
Leadership 101?
While the curriculum varies from year to year, it always includes:
Topics may vary from year to year based on the availability of speakers.
Speakers come from the community and teach these sessions at no cost to the
Youth Corps.
Does the MYC have an advisory committee?
Yes, an advisory committee composed of individuals from the local business and
education communities as well as others from area youth development programs
serve as the core of the advisory committee. In addition, current MYC members
assist as well.
How is the Mayor’s Youth Corps funded?
The city allocates $10,000 annually to the
Mayor’s Youth Corps. In addition, our corporate sponsor, JPMorgan Chase,
provides another $5,000 to $10,000 annually.
Grant opportunities such as from What Kids Can
Do provide additional resources.
Do you attend conferences?
Yes. Youth Corps delegates have attended the National Youth Summit in
Washington, D.C.; the National League of Cities Your City’s Families Conference
in San Antonio; The National League of Cities Congress of Cities in Reno, Nev.
and the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference in
Washington, D.C.
How are the youth selected to attend these
conferences?
It does not take long to know which teens have
“earned” the right to attend these conferences. If there is a hard
decision to be made, attendance records, number of incidents of tardiness to
events, and number of missed deadlines are reviewed. Members selected to
represent the organization at out-of-state meetings have gone above and beyond
in their work as a member of the Youth Corps.
 | 
