City of Tulsa Youth Council

The City of Tulsa Youth Council seeks to 1) build the belief that youth voice is crucial to the infrastructure of the city, 2) position youth as active and consistent participants in Tulsa’s civic sphere, and 3) advise City Councilors, the Mayor, and City Employees on issues and programs directly impacting youth through a community engagement proposal. Over six months, high school students across nine council districts come together to learn about the inner workings of city governance, conduct city-wide, youth-centered listening campaigns, and pitch proposals or recommendations to the city.

2026 Program Outcomes

Youth Council Stats:

20 students
8 schools represented
8 City Council districts
236 interviews during the listening campaign
8 proposals
15 sessions from January to June
18 adults attended various meetings

Program Evaluation - Post-Program Survey:

100% enjoyed the program
100% are committed to making positive community change in the future
92% feel more connected to youth in Tulsa
100% feel the sessions helped them utilize new skills
100% know how to connect with city leaders when they need to
92% learned the role the city plays in their everyday life
100% would recommend the program to other youth

What is the most important thing you learned in the program?

“A really important thing I learned is how the city works and how we youth can help our city and community, no matter what, and I have gotten better at my networking skills during this program!”
“The most important thing I learned during the program was to fight. Fight for what you believe in and never stop until you accomplish your goals.”
“[I learned] How to reach out to and connect with city leaders! I'll be using those emailing skills forever!”2026
“Persistence is key to making change happen. I’ve learned this through many meetings leading up to final presentations and in regards to every meeting we held on Tuesdays. This program helped me learn to never ever give up and keep reaching out.”
“Este programa me gusto mucho porque nos enseño como participar de una manera mas activa en nuestra comunidad. Nos mostraron a quien contactar si queremos desarrollar un proyecto propio y tambien nos motivaron a involucrarnos en iniciativas ya existentes. Ademas, a pesar de la diferencia de idioma, me sentí muy cómoda trabajando con todos los participantes. Fue una experiencia que me permitio aprender nuevas habilidades, conocer personas con diferentes perspectivas y ganar mas confianza para involucrarme en mi comunidad.”

Read the 2026 proposals here!

2025 Program Outcomes

The Youth Council presented proposals for five projects - peer-led driver safety curriculum, peer-led substance abuse programs, shared and salaried bus drivers across city and school districts, increased access to voter information for young voters, an increase in education funding, and an opportunity for those experiencing homelessness to have access to jobs that beautify the city. This program is about connection as much as it is about the final proposal. Students engaged in nuanced conversations that included everything from building their own city budget to determining interview questions to using urban design to "create" a city of their own.

27 of 37 participants completed the post-survey

100% of students enjoyed the program
100% learned things during this program that can help me make positive change in the future
96% reported that after doing this program, they are more committed to making positive community change in the future
81% feel more connected to other young people across Tulsa
88% felt sessions were productive
84% felt sessions helped them utilize new skills
84% know how to connect with city leaders when they need to
100% learned the role the city plays in their everyday life
96% would recommend this program to a friend
20 out of 27 respondents would like to continue work with the city in some capacity.