Rockville Youth Commission Meeting – September 15, 2026

The Rockville Youth Commission met on September 15, 2026 at 4:15 PM (called to order at that time, not the 09:30 indicated in source metadata). The meeting focused on planning a community town hall at the Twinbrook Community Center, reviewing the FY27 city budget, and finalizing a letter to advocate for youth programs. No members of the public were present for comment.

Twin Brook Town Hall Discussion

• The commission reviewed plans for a town hall on April 10, 2026 from 7:00–9:00 PM at the Twinbrook Community Center. The event will feature game stations, a computer lab, arts and crafts, survey boards (like a scavenger hunt), free pizza, and ice cream from Carmen’s (with a coupon from the survey).
• Staff liaison Jordan reported that the postcard design is ready and will be mailed to households the week of March 30. E‑blasts will be sent initially and again the week of the event. Flyers will be distributed during school lunch periods at Julius West Middle School and, pending approval, at Wood Middle School.
• Commission members will be assigned roles: two people in arts and crafts, one in the computer lab, three in the gym, one at the final survey board, two scooping ice cream, two at the pizza station, and one floater. Center staff can handle many tasks so commission members can focus on engaging with youth and collecting feedback.
• The survey boards will ask about preferred activities (sports, creative arts, hands‑on learning, STEM, etc.). After discussion, the commission agreed to add an open board where youth can write what they wish the community center offered. They also decided to replace “SAT prep” with “mental health support” and to rename “hands‑on learning” to “STEM programs” to better match middle‑school interests. A suggestion to offer Spanish translations on boards was raised but not decided.
• Council liaison Alisha (name inferred) highlighted the unique challenges of the Twinbrook community, noting that many residents are non‑English speakers and low‑income, and encouraged the commission to think about mental health and life‑skills needs beyond sports. She shared that her son had experienced a stressful conversation in elementary school about immigration, underscoring the importance of safe spaces for youth to share concerns.
• The commission agreed that this first town hall will be a pilot; lessons learned will inform future events.

FY27 Budget Review

• The commission discussed the city’s proposed FY27 budget for youth programs. They noted that many enhancements submitted by recreation staff (such as expanded teen programming, a fishing program at Redgate Pond, and skate camp expansion) were not included in the city manager’s draft budget.
• Commissioners observed gaps in current offerings: a lack of arts programs for middle/high school students, no cooking classes (though the senior center has a kitchen used for “Tiny Chef”), and limited life‑skills workshops (career prep, financial literacy, cooking). They referenced the 200 survey responses already collected from school fairs, which showed demand for these activities.
• Council liaison Alisha advised that the commission can advocate directly to mayor and council using personal stories and survey data, and that pilot programs are a viable path. She noted that the city funds a “Linkages to Learning” program at Maryvale Elementary (East Rockville) and that the commission could advocate for its expansion to other Title I schools like Twinbrook.
• Commissioners expressed interest in seeing the full list of staff‑requested enhancements and obtaining the recreation guide to compare current programs with survey feedback.

Letter Advocacy and Next Steps

• The commission finalized a letter to mayor and council (previously drafted) by approving minor edits: capitalizing “Census,” adding a comma, and fixing a missing sentence. The letter was approved by a motion (unanimous voice vote).
• Staff announced that the application process for new commission members (grades 7–12) is open; all current members must reapply. Five seniors are graduating and will not be returning. New appointments will be made by the mayor in September 2027.
• No additional new business was raised, and the meeting was adjourned by unanimous voice vote.

Key Outcomes

• Approved minutes from the previous meeting (order changed to later in agenda).
• Approved the town hall event plan, survey board content, and marketing timeline.
• Approved the letter to mayor and council with minor edits.
• Directed staff to send role sign‑up sheets and draft email blurb for school outreach.
• Set the next commission meeting for two days before the town hall (April 8).
• Decided to wait for town hall feedback before making further budget recommendations.