County Commission Youth Council concludes successful inaugural season

Published on May 26, 2021

The Wayne County Commission Youth Council concluded its first year of operation by drafting a resolution on student mental health care that was adopted by the commission itself. The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Wayne County Commission and distributed to state leaders and local school districts.

"We are one of the most diverse counties in the nation and it's important to create ways to bring our young people together," said Chair of the WCCYC Commissioner Monique Baker McCormick (D-Detroit), who drafted the resolution creating the youth council and serves as its adviser.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, youth council members conducted their monthly meeting via Zoom during the recent school year. Many of them met face-to-face for the first time during an end-of-the-year celebration luncheon May 22 on the Detroit riverfront.

The commission is made up of high school students from across Wayne County with each commissioner appointing a member from their district.

Its goal is to bring together a diverse group of students from many backgrounds to work toward finding common ground on issues relevant to people their age.

"These young people are the leaders of tomorrow and we are all extremely proud of them," Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell (D-Detroit) said. "I strongly believe other counties should create a youth commission, if they haven't already done so."

The Youth Council executive board members for 2020-21 were Gabrielle Langston, president; Ajeya Rahaman, vice president; Keerthana Danasekaran, secretary; and Dierra Surles, parliamentarian.

Langston and Danasekaran were appointees of Commissioner Terry Marecki. Rahaman was an appointee of Commissioner Irma Clark-Coleman and Surles was an appointee of the late Commissioner Jewel Ware.

Non-executive board members included: Jaden Walton, Jayvonne Simmons, Kendall Spivey, Cordell Clyburn, Morgann Porter, LaKendra Reynolds-Smith, Taylin Hodges, Alexa Saleh and Jana Akkawi.

Meetings this coming year are expected to be held in person.

The resolution youth council members drafted notes that mental health disorders are linked to dropout rates and that anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide increased for many young people during the pandemic. It also notes that many students lack access to mental health care or face barriers in obtaining it.

The resolution also requests that educational institutions throughout the county provide increased mental health resources including group therapy and peer counseling sessions and to dedicate specific days to educate the community about mental health issues and strategic methods to manage them.

A copy of the resolution follows:

Wayne County Commission Youth Council
RESOLUTION No. 2021-001
Sponsored by: Ajeya Rahaman, Jana Akkawi and Keerthana Danasekaran
Co-Sponsored by: Cordell Clyburn, Taylin Hodges, Gabrielle Langston, Brendan Maher, Morgann Porter, LaKendra Reynolds-Smith, Alexa Saleh, Jayvonne Simmons, Kendall Spivey, Dierra Surles and Jaden Walton

WHEREAS, according to the Center for Disease Control, an estimated 50% of Americans are diagnosed with a mental illness or a disorder at some point in their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes to one's emotional, physical and mental well-being and can take many forms, including but not limited to: depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, loss of interest, feelings of hopelessness, guilt, heart palpitations, panic attacks and headaches; and

WHEREAS, mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work, school, or family activities; and

WHEREAS, although mental illnesses affect people of all ages, students make up a large portion of those affected; and

WHEREAS, students with mental health and learning disorders, including autism and anxiety; can often lead to a rise in dropout rates, youth in special education are at a higher risk, with more than 77,000 students in special education whom have received suspensions and expulsions for more than 10 cumulative days of the year; and

WHEREAS, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns of mental health and disorders have increased, with a significant rise in the number of cases of anxiety and depression; including thoughts of suicide or self-harm; and

WHEREAS, Americans have been harshly affected mentally throughout the course of the pandemic by suffering with, bereavement, isolation, overworking, stress over school, loss of income and fear of triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones; and

WHEREAS, on average, 18.8% of high school students are suffering with mental health issues due to the onset of virtual learning; and

WHEREAS, although the diagnosis of either depression or anxiety amongst students ages 6-17 years increased to 8.4% in the past year, students are provided with Resolution No. 2021 - 001 Page 2 limited resources from educational institutions and no action has been taken to address this health crisis; and

WHEREAS, many students do not have access to mental health resources, and often face barriers to receive assistance to address mental health concerns, including a hesitation to seek assistance due to the social stigma associated with seeking help. Now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Wayne County Commission Youth Council on this 1st day of April 2021, recognizes that students are not receiving the support and resources they need from educational institutions to address their mental health concerns; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Wayne County Commission Youth Council requests that educational institutions provide more mental health resources to promote mental wellness, including: to allow group therapy and peer counseling sessions, to dedicate specific days to educate the community about mental health issues and to inform the community about resourceful and strategic methods to manage one's mental health, and to help students cope with mental illnesses; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Wayne County Commission Youth Council urges the Wayne County Commission to support this Resolution and to advocate for programs and resources that provide educational opportunities and services regarding mental health to students and the community at-large; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Wayne County Commission Youth Council send this resolution memorializing its request to the Wayne County Commission and all school boards located within Wayne County, Michigan.

County Commission Youth Council concludes successful inaugural season(PDF, 200KB)