Youth Council reports mental-health survey, cleanups and fundraising; students recognized

The Cape Coral Youth Council presented its final quarterly report before a change of membership, outlining senior and junior projects, fundraising and community-service activities.

Lexi Squires, chair of the Youth Council, opened the presentation and said the Council had been "very busy, very active" and invited members to share their experiences. Members described senior projects focused on mental-health stigma and said a survey distributed to a high school received more than 200 meaningful responses that the Council will present to local school boards.

Principals introduced two students honored at the meeting. Dr. Thomas Michael, principal of Mariner High School, described student Jacoby Chang as maintaining "an outstanding 4.69 GPA" while leading Army JROTC and performing more than 200 hours of community service. Ryan Jackson, principal of Cape Coral High School, introduced Hannah Johnson and noted her leadership on the dance team and in DECA.

Members also reported a movie-in-the-park junior project that sold 82 online and 33 in-person tickets and raised $641, used to help fund a trip to the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. The Council said it conducted five cleanup events spanning medians and shoulders in the Santa Barbara corridor and collected more than 200 toys for local children in partnership with the Children’s Network.

The Youth Council noted a forthcoming special meeting and a donated public-art project (a metal lock sculpture) with materials and labor pledged by a local welding company. Councilmembers on the dais thanked the youth members and praised their service.

Why it matters: The report highlights youth civic engagement through service projects, surveys that could inform local school mental-health work, small-scale fundraising and regional advocacy trips.