Elmhurst’s Youth Advisory Committee

Giving teens a voice to shape their community

By Sophia Schiappa

What began as an effort to better connect with Elmhurst’s young people has grown into a program where students aren’t just sharing ideas – they’re putting them into action.

The Elmhurst Youth Advisory Committee, established in 2023, was created to give local youth a direct voice in community programming after city leaders recognized they were hearing mostly from adults. Today, the committee has evolved from an advisory group into a hands-on leadership opportunity where students help organize events, volunteer in the community, and influence programs designed specifically for their peers.

“We wanted the youth involved in the community and giving back to the community as well,” said Jackie Haddad-Tamer, who has served on the Commission on Youth since 2013 and has chaired the commission for the past 11 years. “It’s our direct outreach to the kids.”

The committee currently includes up to 20 student members who meet monthly alongside city leaders. Students discuss what they want to see in Elmhurst, share feedback they’ve gathered from classmates and help shape future programming.

“They advise us on what they want to see,” Haddad-Tamer said. “For the first time I’m seeing kids come to the events, and they’re taking their parents, so that was super impactful.”

For Haddad-Tamer, watching students become active participants in their community has been the committee’s greatest reward.

“Personally, it was seeing the youth come and want to be a part of the community and bring their family in, as opposed to mom and dad only,” she said. “For me that was really special.”

The committee’s responsibilities have expanded considerably since its first meetings. While members initially focused on sharing ideas, they now play an active role in planning events and identifying volunteer opportunities that reflect what local teens say they want.

“We started brainstorming with the kids: What’s important? What do you see around town?” Haddad-Tamer said. “Kids really wanted more service work, so we were really thoughtful in planning more volunteer opportunities.”

One of the committee’s biggest accomplishments came this year when members planned the Bunny Hop 3K, a fundraiser benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities. The event, themed “Kids Running for Kids,” was largely conceived and organized by the youth members themselves.

For Audrey Zimmer, a York High School senior and one of the committee’s original members, the race represented a major milestone.

“I’ve definitely been involved in a couple of events over the years, like the Bunny Hop 3K, which was super significant for me this year because we were able to plan our own event and have a better understanding of the work that comes with planning an event,” Zimmer said.

The experience gave committee members a behind-the-scenes look at the many moving pieces involved in organizing a community event.

“It was a big priority of the leaders to teach us how that planning works,” Zimmer said. “It’s not just available to you at the snap of your fingers. I was able to see my work come to fruition.”

Beyond event planning, Zimmer said the committee has given her a deeper appreciation for local government.

“I wasn’t aware of how many people you need to be contacting and the types of things that you need to set up,” she said. “You have to rent a space or get permits and all these kinds of things. It’s really interesting to see how much effort actually goes into a one-day event.”

Haddad-Tamer hopes lessons like those help students understand how different community organizations work together.

“Government is a process,” she said. “The kids got to see how we work with the park district, the library, the YMCA, the police department and other agencies. They learned it’s not just, ‘We want an event tomorrow.’”

The committee also serves as a bridge between city leaders and local students, bringing youth perspectives into conversations about community priorities. Members have shared ideas ranging from creating more gathering spaces for teens to bringing in speakers who better reflect students’ interests, including professional athletes and online creators.

Zimmer said one of the most surprising parts of serving on the committee has been discovering how many of her classmates genuinely want to give back.

“It’s surprising to see how many of my peers are actually willing to put the time and the effort into giving back to the community,” she said.

She also appreciates that adults actively seek out and value students’ opinions.

“I feel like it’s kind of rare that adults value youth ideas this much,” Zimmer said. “It’s an interesting opportunity to actually make a change.”

Haddad-Tamer agrees that listening to young people is the committee’s primary mission.

“We want to hear from the kids,” she said. “We’re not here for ourselves planning things. We’re here for them.”

Applications for the next school year’s Youth Advisory Committee typically open in late August or early September after students have settled into the new school year. Haddad-Tamer hopes even more teens will consider applying.

“I want these kids to learn confidence, leadership and those types of roles,” she said. “I think that’s super important with this committee.”

For both Haddad-Tamer and Zimmer, one word best describes the experience: rewarding.

For Haddad-Tamer, it’s rewarding to watch students come together to serve their community. For Zimmer, it’s rewarding to know her ideas are heard and to see those ideas become reality.

Learn more about the Youth Advisory Committee at elmhurst.org/commissiononyouth ν