Supervisor Jake McGoldrick: Youth Shakin' up City Hall

When asked, "To what extent are you involved in your community?" a majority of the 7,000 San Francisco youth surveyed said they did not know how to get involved but that they wanted to. And when asked, "If given the opportunity would you get more involved in your community?" 67 percent of the youth said, "Yes."

Positive involvement is what the SF Youth Commission does for young people. This year's commission is looking to bring that spirit of involvement and activity to our city's youth.

The Youth Commission is a diverse group of 17Êyoung people between the ages of 12 and 23. Appointed by the SF Board of Supervisors and the mayor, they are the official youth voice at City Hall. They pride themselves on "shakin' up City Hall" with their advocacy and policy roles.

Recently, a new set of youth commissioners was appointed. I am fortunate to work closely with two commissioners: Iqra Anjum and Juliet Huntington.

Anjum, who volunteered at my office, was recently elected to be the chair of the Youth Commission and represents District 11 as a commissioner. As a volunteer, she observed Board of Supervisors meetings, read ordinances, spoke with people who visited the office and read the newspaper scanning for political issues. She says this experience has increased her understanding that there are two sides to everything and that being an elected official means more than representing your own interests.

Anjum immigrated to the United States from Pakistan when she was 12 years old. At that time, her family was reunited since her father had emigrated eight years earlier. She often took care of her little brother because her parents worked evenings. Anjum's sense of family responsibility is also reflected in her work. She was involved with "Just Think," a media literacy group where she learned the effects of media on youth, and helped write content for a show focusing on health issues for youth.

Anjum graduated from the School of the Arts, where she did costume design and is now attending UC-Berkeley where she majors in political science. She is especially interested in immigrants' rights and women's rights issues.

Growing up, Huntington watched her mother start a non-profit, AcroSports, from scratch. Working alongside her mother, Juliet helped get kids active in sports and creative endeavors. She was also an advisor for the "Linking Education, Activity and Food" program, which focused on health issues like diabetes and obesity.

Huntington is a Lowell High School graduate and a student at the College of Marin. Balancing a full-time class load, work and a personal life has been challenging. She credits her Youth Commission experience with helping her become more organized. Huntington will pursue nursing and mid-wifery and hopes to start health clinics to assist pregnant women.

Youth Commission Plans
The Youth Commission plans to "shake things up" by reaching out to San Francisco's youth and playing an advocacy role.

Anjum and Huntington would like to see more youth get involved in politics and with the policies that affect them. Huntington says that budget cuts in school arts programs have diminished the amount of creative outlets for youth so she makes after-school programs a priority.

Jake McGoldrick is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1.