Alex Garcia-Villatoro, a junior at South High School, was appointed to a one-year term on the National League of Cities (NLC) Council on Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) Council for 2015. The YEF Council guides and oversees the work of NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families.
Garcia-Villatoro is the first Wichita student to be selected to the Council. He will join four other teens from across the country as a full voting member on the 97-person Council comprised of local elected officials and representatives from national organizations that work to improve the welfare of children and families. He is a junior and a second-year member of the Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) and District IV Advisory Board. As a member of the YEF Council, Garcia-Villatoro will contribute to discussions involving NLC’s policy positions on early childhood development and education, health and wellness, afterschool programming, youth violence prevention, and family economic success.
“The YEF Council provides an important voice for the nation’s cities and towns, generating recommendations for municipal leaders on strategies to improve outcomes for children, youth and families while guiding the work of NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities.
Garcia-Villatoro travelled to Washington, D.C. this week with three additional MYC members to attend NLC’s annual Congressional City Conference.
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The NLC is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families launched in 2000 under the leadership of the late Thomas M. Menino, mayor of Boston. The YEF Institute provides practical help and advice to mayors and other city leaders as they seek to address the needs of children, youth, and families in their communities. For more information on NLC’s other committees and councils, please visit the website.
The MYC was established in 2007 by Mayor Carl Brewer to give Wichita area youth an opportunity to weigh in on community issues and learn about local government. MYC currently has 38 high school students from more than a dozen public, private, and home schools. It is sponsored by the City of Wichita, Mirror Inc., and Spirit AeroSystems. To learn more about the MYC or apply for the 2015-2016 school year, please visit the website
