Biloxi Mayor's Youth Council Project Presentations - May 6, 2026
Biloxi Mayor's Youth Council Project Presentations - May 6, 2026
The Mayor's Youth Council held its final session of the 2025–2026 program on May 6, 2026, with 27 students presenting four group projects to the mayor, city council, and administration. Each group proposed initiatives to enhance the community, followed by questions and supportive feedback from council members. The meeting opened with a motion to approve the agenda, which was seconded and carried without discussion.
Group 1: Improving Safety and Security at Public Parks
- Students (Kyla True, Emerson Yelverton, Paisley Langston, Brayden Williams, Gabriel Knight, and Bailey Lee) proposed a controlled entry and monitoring system for Biloxi parks, targeting the five most visited parks: Pops Ferry Recreational Area, Point Cadet Slip, Eagle Point Park, Miramar Park, and Panzoyo McManus Park. Key components included QR-code check-ins at entry points, durable fencing, security cameras (at least one per park), and emergency resources such as AEDs, epinephrine injectors, and first aid kits. Funding would come from grants, donations, and sponsors.
- Council members praised the thoroughness and practicality of the proposal. Mr. Gray asked about the selection of the five parks, and students explained they were identified as the most visited from city data. Mr. Krug noted that QR codes could still be used even without full controlled access. Mr. Shoemaker called the emergency resources “brilliant” and suggested expanding them to all parks. Mayor commented on the relevance of technology and privacy, noting that similar data collection already occurs with cell phones.
Group 2: Volleyball Tournament for Youth Engagement
- Students (Amber Dubison, John, Terylin Butler, Braden, Gabby White, Jada Graden, and Emma Mitchell) proposed a free volleyball tournament at Biloxi High School for incoming sophomores and juniors to encourage civic engagement, physical activity, and leadership. Medical staff would be available through school athletic trainers, and referees would officiate. The event would be held prior to Mayor's Youth Council applications and would be free to participants.
- Council members expressed strong support. Mr. Crew asked why they chose an indoor venue over beach volleyball; students cited traffic and safety concerns on the beach road and wanted to introduce participants to Biloxi High School. Mr. Shoemaker called it a great idea for recreation and team building.
Group 3: Biloxi Byte Lab – A Teen Tech Center
- Students (Emmy Kilpatrick, Adam Rugg, Houston Hewlett, Adrian Lally, Jewel Barna, and Aiden Kelly) presented a tech lab for ages 12–18 with six zones: private study pods, gaming zone, lounge, open study tables, recreational area (ping pong, air hockey), and board game shelf. The facility would be open after school (3–7 PM) and weekends (10 AM–2 PM, with older students supervising younger children). Startup costs were estimated at $16,000; long-term funding would come from sponsorships ($3,000–$10,000 tiers), corporate grants (Best Buy Foundation, Google.org, Microsoft Philanthropies, Verizon Foundation), and local partners. A one-year fundraising goal of $100,000 was outlined.
- Council members were impressed by the businesslike approach. Mayor inquired about location; students identified the former eFitness building but discovered it was privately owned. Mr. Crew jokingly asked if they were available for budget workshops, noting their fundraising plan vastly exceeded startup costs. Mr. Tisdale complimented the flow and comprehensiveness of the presentation.
Group 4: Biloxi Youth Civic Connect (BYCC)
- Students (Haral Patel, Alicia Jansen, Damielle Britton, and Zalin Hill) proposed a school-based club to educate peers on municipal government. They surveyed 120 high school students and found low civic knowledge: 25% answered question 1 correctly, 64% question 2, and 28% question 3. BYCC would hold monthly meetings, guest speaker sessions, visits to city hall and departments, and attendance at city council meetings. A $15 membership fee would cover transportation and activities. The club aims to build a pipeline to the Mayor's Youth Council and increase informed voting.
- Council members praised the initiative for increasing youth civic participation. Mr. Gray noted the importance of early engagement. Mr. Crew requested the names of all presenters and emphasized the value of connecting youth to government. Mayor highlighted communication as the way to move ideas forward.
Key Outcomes
- All four group presentations were met with enthusiastic praise and constructive feedback from the mayor and council. No formal votes were taken on the proposals. Council members indicated interest in exploring implementation, such as the QR code park system and teen tech center, with Mr. Krug suggesting the QR code concept could be easily adopted. The adult coordinators and advisory board were thanked. Certificates of completion will be distributed at the next city council meeting. The meeting adjourned following a motion by Mr. Tisdale, seconded and carried.
Meeting Transcript
It's fantastic. Um but uh the chair will entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. I have a second. Second by Mr. Gray. Uh any discussion, Mr. Creel? No discussion. All right. Anyone else? All in favor? Those opposed. Motion carries. We'll go ahead and open up the agenda. Um my agenda says we we start eating first. Is that where we are, or we're gonna get some opening remarks? Any opening remarks, or we're what do we want to do, Mayor? This is Hart, do you want to give us some uh opening remarks? I could be at the council meeting, but I'm gonna try and just say no. All right. And all I've said is mighty over. I guess we are okay. Well, this is the mayor's youth council. This is the 25 uh 2025, 2026 session of the mayor's youth council. We have 27 students if you remember. So throughout the year, what they did is they learned about city government, they visited various departments, uh learned about history and culture, visited some other places like the museum uh Maritime Seafood Industry Museum, and throughout the sessions, what the kids did is they learned and they came up with some ideas of um projects that maybe the council or the administration might like to implement, or either some ideas that they put together that y'all may like to use, say in the parks, in a rental facility or something like that. So we have four groups. Um again, they worked on all session all the whole program to come up with this group presentation. And what we're gonna do is we're gonna have again four different sessions. We're gonna have one at a time come up. They're all gonna come up and for other students too. Whenever you pick up the microphone, hold the bottom. Don't touch this part so we don't mess it up. So hold the bottom. They're gonna come up here, they're gonna present their project, they're gonna go through the whole presentation, then after the presentation, we'll open it up for questions from the council from the mayor or the CAO. If you have any questions for the students. Okay. All right. All right, let's go ahead and start with group one. Have you all go ahead and come on up? So this one is improving safety and security at public parks. This idea actually came from Bailey Lee. If you want to step forward and tell people why you came up with the idea, and if y'all will kind of come over here so the council can see. Then we're going to I'm starting off whenever you come up, say your name, and then go ahead and start your presentation. We're gonna start it off with Tyler Truth. Hi, my name's Kyla True, and every family deserves a safe place to relax, play, and feel secured. Parks are meant to bring communities together, but safety concerns are changing how people use them. Families are being more conscious, some avoid parks altogether. When a park doesn't feel safe, it starts serving its purpose.
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