NICEVILLE, Fla — The City of Niceville Youth Advisory Council is among the winners of the Florida League of Cities 2020 Municipal Youth Council Community Service Contest.

NICEVILLE, Fla — The City of Niceville Youth Advisory Council is among the winners of the Florida League of Cities 2020 Municipal Youth Council Community Service Contest.

Hosted annually, this contest showcases community service projects performed by municipal youth councils that successfully address specific needs in their local communities.

Composed of high school students within the city, municipal youth councils are special councils that typically serve as an advisory board to the local government. They are sometimes referred to as youth corps, teen advisory boards or mayor’s youth councils.

The “Twin Cities Pavilion Parade” project from the City of Niceville Youth Advisory Council was a community event focused on supporting the senior citizens of Niceville during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the event, the council recruited volunteers to participate in a drive-by vehicle parade and collected letters and cards to give to the senior residents. The result was a parade of more than 50 vehicles, all decorated with signs and banners offering words of encouragement, dozens of letters with well wishes and positive messages, and a group of senior citizens whose spirits were dramatically lifted.

“I’m passionate about engaging youth in the work of local government, and municipal youth councils are an excellent way to do that,” said Florida League of Cities President Isaac Salver, council member for the Town of Bay Harbor Islands. “These students are the next generation of civic leaders, and if what we’ve seen from youth councils throughout Florida is any indication, our future looks incredibly bright. On behalf of the League, I congratulate this year’s award winners.”

This year’s contest winners and their projects are:

• City of Alachua Youth Advisory Council – “Election Education for Youth.”
• City of Niceville Youth Advisory Council – “Twin Cities Pavilion Parade.”
• City of Tampa Mayor’s Youth Corps & Leadership Council – “Cyrus Greene Community Center Tutoring Program.”
• Village of Wellington Youth Council – “Helping Youth by Providing Empowerment.”
• City of West Park Youth Council – “COVID-19 Food Give-A-Ways.”

Contest winners will receive a trophy, be featured in the League’s award-winning magazine, Quality Cities (QC), and have their projects featured on the League’s website and social media accounts.