As the gavel is slammed down, the second semester juniors and seniors of Prosper ISD begin a meeting to create change with Mayor Bristol’s Youth Advisory Council.

“The idea behind the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council was to create an opportunity for us to interact with students in Prosper,” Mayor David Bristol said. “As well as give students the opportunity to have a voice in what happens in our community.”

The council meets monthly to share ideas focusing on youth-related issues and receive updates on the community.

“A lot of times they get input from adults and it’s very adult-led,” Walnut Grove junior Remi Richardson said. “So this is just an opportunity for it to be student-led to get a student side of Prosper.”

From brainstorming potential policy ideas to discussing hot topics, the students hope to get their voices heard in Prosper.

“We’re the inaugural class, so we want to try to set an example and lay the groundwork for all the future classes and advisory councils going forward,” Rock Hill junior William He said. “I think local government is where all the real action is, everything from your water to your sewage to your parks, that’s what this government does.”

Students applied to the council online, where they submitted a video introducing themselves and sharing what they would like to change in Prosper.

“This is the real part that impacts your life,” He said. “I think when people, and especially students, get a first-hand look at that, it will serve them in any career.”

As the council continues to meet, these Prosper students are moving the community one small step at a time.

“What I want to accomplish is that the students on this are better informed citizens,” Bristol said. “But I also want to create the future leaders of not just Prosper, but America.”

The committee strives to design a better future for Prosper’s youth by presenting issues, brainstorming solutions, and taking action to make a change.

“The fact that they got involved in their community is great,” Bristol said. “They see how the town works, they see how municipal government works, and the things that they can do by being engaged, I want to create the future leaders.”