MRC Youth Position

The youth position of the San Juan County Marine Resource Committee is to engage youth in discussion about the awareness and protection of marine resources in San Juan County and to establish communication with youth about their throughts on the role of local marine resources. 

Membership
The membership of this position shall be for a 3rd or 4th year high school student and open to any student within San Juan County. The term limit of this position is limited to two years maximum with a youth member serving at least one full year from October to October. The position is open to a maximum of two students within San Juan County who must apply to the Marine Resource Committee. Applications will be accepted and reviewed by the outreach and education subcommittee and they will propose top applicants to the MRC at large. The MRC will vote on the proposed applicants and forward selections on to the San Juan County Council for approval. After being appointed to the MRC as a youth respresentative, members will be required to complete basic committee training. 

Participation
The youth members will be expected to:

• Attend & participate in monthly meeting (2 hrs monthly). Come prepared to discuss ongoing agenda items for MRC and CAG.
• Read & review minutes from the previous meeting (1 hr monthly)
• Participate in a project of their choosing (6 hrs per quarter). Youth members can join a subcommittee or create a project of their own choosing.

What does the student get out of the experience?

1. Learning about marine and nearshore issues across San Juan County and the different associated careers
2. Experience serving on a county advisory committee and opportunity to provide a youth’s perspective on local marine and nearshore conservation issues
3. Experience being part of a broader network of community-based marine stewardship organizations (NW Straits Initiative) 
4. Job shadow/informational interviews with co-committee members 
5. Material for senior project, volunteer/service hours and resume addition
6. Opportunities for in-the-field marine conservation experience (e.g., dock talks, derelict vessel monitoring, eelgrass surveys, beach cleanups, etc.)

For questions please contact Katie Johnson, Marine Project Coordinator at katiej@sanjuancountywa.gov