Midvale has a team of young leaders dedicated to the community, focused on bringing positive change. The 2024-25

Midvale Youth Council just wrapped up its term of service and reported to the Midvale City Council, detailing some of the students’ projects.

The youth council, made up of high school students, spent the school year working with city leaders to learn about local government, leadership and civic engagement. Their ideas could help shape the city’s future. 

“We have a diverse group of students, where we have seniors, we have freshmen, we have kids that are very well-versed with debate and theater,” said Vanessa Guevara, Midvale Youth Council coordinator. “And then you have kids that this is the one item they can participate in. So you get to see this big range of different skills and assets.”

Over the last year, the youth leaders planned several service projects in the city, including making thank-you cards for older adults at Salt Lake County Aging Services, creating street outreach packages for The Road Home that included socks, hand warmers and granola bars, and preparing for
a legislative leadership event at the Utah State Capitol.

Led by the Utah League of Cities and Towns, Local Officials Day at the Legislature offered youth councils the opportunity to tour the Capitol, learn about the legislative college internship program, engage in advocacy and get a glimpse of how the legislative process works. 

Part of the event included a mock
debate, during which youth council members could submit a policy proposal for consideration. The theme was centered on how Utah could prepare for the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. The Midvale Youth Council won both presentations, which focused on Zero Waste Utah 2034. The presentations showcased innovative ideas for a more sustainable future. Youth councilmember Vitalia Sun shared the presentation with the Midvale City Council.

“[Utah] is ranked 26th in the nation for recycling, for common containers and packages, and that number drops to 31st for
excluded carbon,” Vitalia said. “[Utah] is still struggling so crucially in this regard and that’s where Zero Waste Utah 2034 comes in. Through private and public partnerships, we have a short-term goal of increasing our recycling rates by the 2034 Olympic Games, as well as a long-term goal of becoming one of the top 10 states for recycling by 2044.”

Other youth council members shared their experience serving the city over the last year and talked about their dedication to ongoing service in the community.
Guevara hopes other high school students will apply to serve on the council for the 2025-26 school year. The application will be available at Midvale.utah.gov in September.

“It’s a fun opportunity to get involved with government, and it’s a great way to discover your own passions, because it’s
so diverse,” she said. “The main theme is probably community and operations, so you will learn about fields closely related to those two items. You get to have recommendation letters and network and do some of those early exposure pieces that are imperative to your career.”

Before the youth council’s presentation to the Midvale City Council, Mayor Dustin Gettel and the city councilmembers issued a proclamation to honor the life of Elijah Bustamante-Martinez. The Hillcrest High student served as a member of the youth council and was killed in a car crash on March 22. 

Part of the proclamation read, “Elijah was known for his unwavering kindness, compassion and dedication to his family, friends and community…He demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment through his involvement in various community initiatives, including serving on Midvale City’s NextGen Initiative, where he played a pivotal role in community-building efforts and policy advocacy.”

Along with Vitalia and Elijah,
the following students served on the
2024-25 Midvale Youth Council: Jonathan Arulanandam, Lina Avila Salinas, Pamela Avila Salinas, Parthiv Balaji, Atticus Bradley, Benny Bridge, Samhita Chavakula, Andrea Contreras, Zander Frisbey, Rita Ishimura, Aditya Jonnalagedda, Aadit Kapadia, Harvin Kushan, Kai McMullin, Shaiyaan Nadeem, Arnav Nair, Noor Naji, Laila Quiroz, Harith Sathish, Narayani Shankar, Kevin Siju Eappen, Ishanth Reddy Sooram, Zaira Syed, Emily Yi, Keerthana Perla and Keerti Perla.

“I feel like every meeting taught me something new, and I’m truly grateful for all the opportunities I was given,” said
Zaira. “My favorite part was going to different city buildings, for example, the police station and fire station, and touring them and talking to the people that work there. Each place we toured gave me a whole new perspective
on the work that goes into keeping the
city running.” λ