The Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council (DMYC) held its first monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 6pm. Following the swearing-in of two youth council members, the group heard from special speakers about Childhood Cancer Awareness Group of Coffee County and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
The Youth Council Jr. Mayor, Jalene Debro, was chosen as the Youth Spotlight for September. Jalene’s mother is Barbara Ann Debro. She is in the12th grade at Coffee High School and is a member of Eastside Baptist Church. Additionally, she serves in many clubs and organizations such as FBLA, Student Council, Chess club, and Honor/ Marching band. She is one of the original members of Teen Court and has served diligently as a juror as well as recruited other youth to participate in the program. She also has served as Clerk of Court and now Defense/Prosecuting Attorney with the Teen Court program. After graduating from Coffee High School, Jalene plans to pursue a career in the medical field.
For the month of September, Jalene chose Sharon Williams, Co-Mentor with the First Love Yourself Girls and Boys mentoring program as her outstanding community leader. Williams was recognized for her exceptional contributions and mentoring to Coffee County youth.
Blondale Thomas shared the history and support services of the Childhood Cancer Group of Coffee County, statistics of childhood cancer, and the need to support funding for Childhood Cancer research. She also shared her personal story of how childhood cancer affected her family when her son was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in 2015. Thomas thanked the community and Youth Council for the support of CCAGCC and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The Youth Council heard information from special guest, Ms. Kendrea Grady. Ms. Grady spoke to the group about Suicide Prevention Awareness and her efforts to spread information about mental health needs and suicide prevention. Other special guests at the meeting included Douglas Fire Chief Casey Wright and Community Development Director, Georgia Henderson. Both spoke briefly about their departments and encouraged the youth council to utilize their voices to help inspire youth involvement with the city government.
DMYC Cooordinator, Dinitra Williams spoke briefly with the group about upcoming volunteer opportunities with the Keep Douglas Beautiful Committee. Ms. Williams also encouraged teens to participate with the Douglas-Coffee County Teen Court program. Youth applications are now being accepted for the 2022-2023 school year to serve on the Douglas-Coffee County Teen Court. The first Teen Court session will be October 1, 2022 at 9AM at the Coffee County Law Enforcement Center.
The 2022-2023 Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council members are Jalene Debro (Jr. Mayor), Joana Mazariegos (Jr. Mayor Pro-Tem), Zynia Hunt (Jr. Commissioner), Dinitra Williams (Youth Council Coordinator), Kiran Reddy (Jr. City Clerk), Jared Davis (Jr. Commissioner), Gabriel Jump (Jr. Commissioner), Jeremiah Bazell (Jr. Commissioner), Jameson Cummings (Jr. Commissioner), Brody Grantham (Jr. Commissioner), Destiny Henderson (Jr. Commissioner), and Jasmine Oliver (Jr. Commissioner).
The next Mayor’s Youth Council will be held on Tuesday, October 18, 2021, 6pm at the Youth Center. The public is invited to attend Youth Council meetings. For more details on either program, please contact Dinitra Williams, Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council & Teen Court Coordinator, at (912)331-9398 or call the City Clerk’s office at (912)389-3405.