Building a Youth Council in Beit She'an from Scratch

Beit She'an had never had a youth council. At the start of the school year, a group of 22 BU participants decided to change that.

Starting with Questions

The group began by learning how councils work in other cities. They met with youth council members from two other towns over Zoom and listed what had worked for them and what had not.

The Steps They Took

Wrote a short charter defining the council's role and responsibilities

Held an open meeting at each of the city's three high schools

Ran an election with 340 student voters

Presented the elected council to the mayor's office

Learning to Disagree

Not everything went smoothly. Two members wanted the council to focus on sports facilities, others on public transport to evening activities. Their facilitator used the disagreement as a lesson in negotiation, and the group agreed on a shared list of three priorities.

"We learned that leading doesn't mean everyone agrees with you. It means finding something everyone can work on." – Lior, 16

Looking Ahead

The council now meets once a month and has a permanent seat at the city's youth department planning meetings. Its first project, an extended evening bus line, is being tested this winter.