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Youth Committee
The Youth Committee is responsible for: maintaining and updating the Youth Community and Volunteer Service Directory, and Youth Employment Directory. They also plan and participate in an annual local youth job fair, review and recommend new teen recreation programs and events, plan one or two teen recreation programs each year, participate as volunteers at City sponsored events, provide youth input on various City projects, and work cooperatively with the Dana Point Youth Board.
The Youth Committee meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. In addition to attending monthly committee meetings, Youth Committee members attend annual joint meetings with the City Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Their goal is to create a positive working relationship with the City Council and other city organizations in an attempt to give the teens of Laguna Niguel a strong voice and presence in the community.
Membership
The Youth Committee is comprised of up to fifteen (15) members who are appointed by the City Council. All members are high school students residing in Laguna Niguel.
Current 2020-2021 Youth Committee Members
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Nick Drossel (Chair)
Nick Drossel is a senior at Dana Hills High School where he is involved in the California Scholarship Federation, the National Honors Society, and the Associated Student Union. He is the Commissioner of Finance for the student government at Dana Hills and volunteers at the Laguna Niguel Library’s Homework Help Program. With the Youth Committee, Nick has helped advertise and expand the Pizza with Police program and hopes to continue the Songs for Seniors events.
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John Reid (Vice Chair)
John Reid is a Senior at Dana Hills High School. He is the President of the California Scholarship Federation and Vice President of the National Honor Society. John wishes to pursue a career in astrophysics in the future. He loves to tutor his peers in school, and he is excited to help the community around him.
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Courtney Bunge
Courtney Bunge is currently a sophomore at Dana Hills High School. She is a member of the Associated Student Union at Dana Hills and a member of the National Charity league. She volunteers at the public library, Children’s Blind Center, Family Assisted Ministries, Riding Center and helps to encourage disabled individuals and youth.
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Maeve Burdian
Maeve Burdian is a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. She is a member of the Water Polo team, as well as many clubs. Maeve is excited to be a part of the Youth Committee this year because she wants to serve in her community and work with other teens. She volunteers at Special Olympic events, local food pantries, and participates in numerous beach cleanups.
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Viuna Farshchian
Viuna Farshchian is a sophomore at Dana Hills High School. Viuna volunteers at the Mercy Warehouse in the “Drive2Mercy” program. Viuna is a member of the California Scholarship Federation, along with other small non-profit organizations to help better the city. She has volunteered with the “Together4Teens” mental wellness event and is interested in assisting with programs that help “clean-up” the city.
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Emily Guilfoyle
Emily Guilfoyle is a senior at Laguna Hills High School. She is on the varsity tennis team, a member of the Spanish Dual-Immersion program, and an International Baccalaureate diploma candidate. She is also vice president of the National Honors society, publicist of the Spanish Honors Society, and the Secretary-General of Organization for Model United Nations. Emily looks forward to continuing the Live Clean Initiative and publicizing events in our community.
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Jason Liu
Jason Liu is a Junior at Capistrano Valley High School where he organizes the Computer Programming Club and the Cubing Club. He is also a member of National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation. He runs Cross Country and Track and appreciates the value of hard work. Constantly pushing himself towards academic achievement, he is in both the Academy of Technology, Math, and Science and the International Baccalaureate programs.
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Cade Mahaffey
Cade Mahaffey is a junior at Aliso Niguel High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the California Scholarship Federation, and the historian of Lion’s Heart in the Laguna Niguel Blue Chapter. Cade is on the Varsity Football and Lacrosse teams. He is an avid surfer, snowboarder, plays the guitar and is involved in his church’s youth group. Cade volunteers in the community at Special Camps for Special Kids and Family Assistance Ministries.
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Skylar Neeve
Skylar Neeve is a senior at Dana Hills High School. He is a member of both the swim and water polo teams. During the summer months he is a beach lifeguard. He is the President of the Cleaner Planet Initiative club, which is dedicated to educating the community about climate change and its impact on the environment.
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Zoe Neeve
Zoe Neeve is a sophomore at Dana Hills High School where she is a member of the student government. Outside of school, Zoe is the Secretary for the local Lion’s Heart group, focusing on community clean-ups. She also volunteers as an OC Junior Guard assistant. Zoe is excited to work on projects and make holiday events as magical as possible for the younger residents.
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Andrew Nesson
Andrew Nesson is a sophomore at Dana Hills High School. He is excited to be a part of the committee so that he can work with other teens and represent the City of Laguna Niguel. Andrew is a member of the Baseball Performance Academy where he is a team captain and competes in the Junior Olympics.
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Katie Root
Katie Root is a senior at Dana Hills High school where she is a player on the girl’s tennis team, and a member of California Scholarship Federation and National Honors Society. In the Youth Committee, she is excited to give back to her community and develop leadership skills.
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Disha Surana
Disha Surana is a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. She is the president of the Red Cross Club and the Eagle Outreach Club. She is captain of the Debate Team and is on the Orange County leagues board, in charge of communications, writing and publishing articles. She also is involved in the California Scholarship Federation and is on the Mission Hospital board, in charge of patient relations. Through the Youth Committee, she is very excited to help plan events that give back to our city.
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Jackson Tremper
Jackson Tremper is a sophomore at Dana Hills High School. He is an active member of the California Scholarship Federation, and he is also on the Junior Varsity Baseball and Basketball teams. Outside of school, he is an active member of the Lions Heart organization and Miracles for Kids and is proud to have to completed the L.A. Marathon at age 13.
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Amanda Zidron
Amanda Zidron is a sophomore at Aliso Niguel High School. She is a member of fourteen clubs, including Key Club, Make A Wish Club, and Model United Nations. Additionally, she is the Commissioner of Publicity for the Associated Student Body. She also performs a great deal of volunteer work at her church functions. Amanda looks forward to her second year on the committee and hopes to find a wide gamut of effective ways to give back to the community.
Contact Us
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Gretchen Malcolm
Recreation Supervisor
Email
949-425-5100
Get Involved!
Learn more about the Youth Committee and events.
Committee Members
- Nick Drossel, Chair
- John Reid, Vice Chair
- Courtney Bunge
- Maeve Burdian
- Viuna Farshchian
- Emily Guilfoyle
- Jason Liu
- Cade Mahaffey
- Skyler Neeve
- Zoe Neeve
- Andrew Nesson
- Katie Root
- Disha Surana
- Jackson Tremper
- Amanda Zidron @(Model.BulletStyle == CivicPlus.Entities.Modules.Layout.Enums.BulletStyle.Decimal ? "ol" : "ul")>
City Council Liaisons
- Mayor Pro Tem Elaine Gennawey (Alternate) @(Model.BulletStyle == CivicPlus.Entities.Modules.Layout.Enums.BulletStyle.Decimal ? "ol" : "ul")>