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MULTNOMAH YOUTH COMMISSION APPLICATION 2026-2027

DUE DATE: Sunday, April 19th, 2026
2025-2026 Commission Members

• Amori Cuevas Portugal • Ariel Contreras-Texna • Celeste Ruiz • Chloe Wolfson • Claira Pearse • Claire Tagalog • Cora Smith • Denisse Carrillo-Hernandez • Destiny Wairimu Nderitu • Diego Flores Maclean • Diego Vega Vasquez • Eli Martin • Enzo Carpio • Hazel Chan • Ishaan Bhardwaj • Ishmael Johnson • Jeniva L. Flores • Jules Jones • Logan O'Halloran • Maheran Arega • Maria Villalobos Nunez • Maritsa Cardoso-Bustamante • Maynapa Chanthanouvong • McKenzie Vo • Merveille Uwera • Mirabel Kotamarti • Sabrin Ahmed • Sinai Terry • Sol Fuerte Hernandez • Toby Ortega • Xavier Juarez • Zoe Cottom •

• REYNOLDS HIGH SCHOOL • CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL • GRESHAM HIGH SCHOOL • DE LA SALLE NORTH CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL • LEODIS V. MCDANIEL HIGH SCHOOL • GRANT HIGH SCHOOL • FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL • OREGON EPISCOPAL SCHOOL • LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE • PARKROSE HIGH SCHOOL • H.B. LEE MIDDLE SCHOOL • CLACKAMAS HIGH SCHOOL • SKYLINE K-8 SCHOOL • PACIFIC CREST COMMUNITY SCHOOL • JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL • BRIDGER CREATIVE SCIENCE SCHOOL • DAVID DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL • CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL • OLIVER MIDDLE SCHOOL •
ABOUT MYC
The Multnomah Youth Commission (MYC) is the official youth policy body to the Multnomah County Board and Portland City Council. This diverse group of youth (ages 13-21) live, work, attend school, and/or attend an out-of-school program in Multnomah County or the City of Portland. Youth commissioners provide advice about the decisions the City & County make that affect young people. They also advocate for a youth agenda of positive policy changes, guided by “Our Bill of Rights: Children & Youth”, the nation’s first Bill of Rights written for and by young people. Providing a voice for our community’s youth, the MYC is supported and funded by the Multnomah County Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) and the City of Portland Office of Community and Civic Life.

Decisions are made every day that affect the lives of young people, many times with little to no input from those impacted by the decisions. The purpose of the MYC is to involve youth in all levels of community decision-making.

Want to know more about MYC? Watch this video!

DUTIES
Youth commissioners are NOT selected based on grades, school attendance, extra curricular involvement, academic skills, or previous leadership experience. Youth commissioners ARE selected based on passion for making change, dedication to improving our community, and bringing unique perspective and voice to the work.

Youth Commissioners participate as non-paid volunteers.

VOTING MEMBERS
  • Commit 12 hours per month to MYC activities, including meetings in Portland and East County (Gresham) on two Sundays of every month from 4:30-7:30pm, and one after-school meeting per week on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
  • Attend MYC’s Annual Fall Retreat to kick off the year, September 18-20, 2026.
  • Attend all meetings of the MYC and be ready to participate, be engaged, and work as a group.
  • Assist in creating a work plan for achieving the goals established during the past term and at the 2026-27 Youth Commission Fall retreat.
  • Ensure that the MYC and its subcommittees complete assigned duties within the work plan and make progress on each of the goals.
  • Seek the opinions, thoughts, and ideas of community youth to inform MYC activities.
REQUIREMENTS
  • Must live, work, go to school, or attend an out-of-school program in Multnomah County or the City of Portland.
  • Willingness to improve communication skills and openness to continued growth in this area.
  • Respectfully address conflict and oppression in all its various forms.
  • Work in partnership with both youth and adults; ensure that both youth and adults feel valued and respected.
  • Attend in-person meetings in various locations and settings across the City and County.
  • Must be available on Sundays and after school on either Tuesdays or Wednesdays for the entire academic year.
  • Actively participate in Commission activities and complete all tasks assigned.
  • Willingness to learn City/County systems and departments and an ability to work with those systems to affect positive change for youth (we provide the training for this).
IMPORTANT NOTE!
MYC works to minimize barriers to participation for all members.
Need a TriMet pass to get around? We got you!
Hungry? We provide food at (almost) all meetings!
Broke? ALL MYC activities are at NO COST to you!
Never been involved in leadership activities before? No problem!
Don’t know anything (yet) about City and County governance but really passionate about making change in our community? MYC will help you gain the knowledge and skills!
Please continue to the next page for the application form.
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