Youth in Government Day Sponsored by City of Pleasanton, School District

On March 27 the City of Pleasanton and Pleasanton Unified School District will host the 2018 Youth in Government Day at the Firehouse Arts Center. The goal of the event is to encourage students to get involved in local government, allow them the opportunity to learn more about governmental processes, and help them decide if they would like to pursue a career in a particular area of local government by exposing them to the work done in different types of positions.

Each year students from Amador, Foothill, and Village high schools are offered the opportunity to participate by signing up to shadow city and school district employees from various departments as the employees go about their work. The employees available to be shadowed may include employees from various city and school departments and different areas of expertise such as the Unified School District, Operations Service Center, Police Department, Fire Department, Community Services, Human Resources, Library Services, Civic Arts, City Planning, Information Technology, and Business Services. California State Assemblywoman Catherine Baker will speak to the students during a networking lunch.

Youth in Government Day is one of many events and programs that the City of Pleasanton and the Pleasanton Unified School District support in partnership, according to Joelle Glushenko, Recreation Supervisor, Community Services Department of the City of Pleasanton. Another is the Community Education series, which offers resources to parents and youth on topics of interest to the community.

An upcoming example is Let's Address Stress, a Community Education event that will be presented by the City of Pleasanton Youth Commission and Student Inter-Schools Council at the Pleasanton Public Library from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm on March 28. The free event will include a panel discussion on how to identify and help students manage stress. Panelists will include Pleasanton Unified School District students and alumni.

"The Community Education program is another example of a strong partnership with the Pleasanton Unified School District," says Glushenko, who notes that the Community Services Department offers a variety of programs designed to help residents of Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley. Several of those programs are geared towards teens.

On March 3, for example, the City of Pleasanton hosted a Teen Job Fair at the Pleasanton Senior Center. The job fair is hosted annually in partnership with the City of Dublin, the City of San Ramon, and the Town of Danville to connect teens with employers in the area. The educational event included mock interviews and guest speakers aimed at educating teens on basic skills needed in the workforce.

Pleasanton residents might be surprised by some of the programs and possibilities available thanks to the Community Services Department. "We have a team of high school volunteers that run a website called ptownlife.org," notes Glushenko. "The focus of the web team recently shifted to sending out a weekly newsletter that includes information on upcoming events and relevant news within the community."

Moreover, the City of Pleasanton also offers a fee assistance program to those who would like to participate in various programs but cannot afford to do so.

"The City of Pleasanton is proud to work with so many community partners to make Pleasanton one of the best places to live, work and play!" says Glushenko.

To subscribe to the Ptownlife newsletter, please visit www.ptownlife.org.

For more information about the City of Pleasanton's Community Services Department, please visit www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/gov/depts/cs/default.asp.

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