Quechee Teen Joins Vermont State Youth Council: Carrying on a Legacy of Young Voices in Democracy

Throughout American history, students have sought to shape the decisions affecting their future. From the young women who organized for suffrage in the early 1900s to the students who filled the streets during the Civil Rights Movement, their determination has left a lasting mark on democracy. Today, that legacy continues in Vermont through the Vermont State Youth Council (VSYC), which gives students a formal role in shaping state policy and a direct seat at the table with Governor Phil Scott and the Legislature.

Ezra and Senator Peter Welch

Youth voice in government got its start during the Great Depression, when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt launched the American Youth Congress (AYC). By bringing young people into the national conversation for the first time, the AYC united thousands of young Americans to advocate for their rights, presenting their “Declaration of the Rights of American Youth” to Congress.

Although national institutions like the AYC faded after the 1940s, the idea that young people had a stake in public life continued to grow. In the late 1950s, the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour began sending high school students to Washington, D.C. to learn about government firsthand. In the 1960s, students pushed government to be more responsive to youth, with groups like Students for a Democratic Society.

The modern wave of youth councils began in 2002, when Maine established the first Legislative Youth Advisory Council with statutory authority. It was a groundbreaking model: students meeting with lawmakers, submitting recommendations, and even drafting policy. Other states soon followed suit, including Wisconsin, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. Vermont joined this movement in 2022, when lawmakers passed Act 109, creating the Vermont State Youth Council.

Ezra and Representative Becca Balint

The VSYC is a diverse group of 28 students, at least one from each county, who advise the Governor and General Assembly annually on issues affecting young Vermonters. Members serve on subcommittees ranging from Education and Equity to Climate Change, Mental Health, and Youth Voice. Their work includes everything from surveys and public hearings to presenting recommendations directly to legislators.

“The State Youth Council is all about creating a more inclusive democracy in Vermont by providing youth an opportunity to directly participate in policymaking,” said Brianne Smith, Youth Engagement Coordinator at Vermont Afterschool, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening afterschool programs, building partnerships, and facilitating the Council’s engagement with the Governor and Legislature.

Among the students appointed this year is Ezra Tane, a Quechee resident and freshman at Hartford High School, who will represent Windsor County for the next three years. Ezra has already stepped into leadership roles through the Hartford Community Coalition, and earlier this year he traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the National CADCA Forum, where he spoke with Vermont’s congressional delegation, Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, and Representative Becca Balint, about issues facing youth.

Ezra and Senator Bernie Sanders

“I’m excited to be on the Youth Council because it’s a chance to affect a lot of the youth in Vermont in a positive way,” said Ezra. As a member of the Education Committee, Ezra added, “One thing I hope to achieve is to get a Student Assistance Provider in every single middle and high school in Vermont.”

In many ways, Ezra’s hopes echo the same determination that has driven youth movements for generations, turning everyday experiences into proposals for change. Vermont’s State Youth Council continues that legacy, channeling the interests of today’s students into meaningful influence on state policy.

For the next generation of Vermonters, the message is clear: youth have always left their mark on democracy, and their voices today can chart the path for the state and nation they will one day inherit.