Murray Youth City Council invites you to meet Murray’s candidates

By Shaun Delliskave | [email protected]

Murray’s Youth City Council/Chamber of Commerce (MYCC) invites all Murray residents to attend their “Meet the Candidates Night” on Sept. 29 at Hillcrest Jr. High (178 East 5300 South) at 7 p.m. Hosted in conjunction with the Murray Chamber of Commerce, Murray Youth Government, and the Murray Exchange Club, the event will include a “Meet and Greet” for Murray mayoral and city council races at 6 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer program. 

Anyone wishing to have questions asked to the candidates must submit them in advance to [email protected].

This marks the start of a busy season for the MYCC. In July, they helped host the primary election “Meet the Candidates Night.” In October, they will partner with the Murray Exchange Club to put on the “The Haunted Woods” in Murray Park. 

They are also looking for more civic-minded youth to participate in activities such as “Give a Kid a Flag Campaign” or “Legislation Day” at the state capitol. 

Youth adviser Sheri Van Bibber explains, “There are a few extensions to this group. If you are interested in service, business, or government internships, this is a great place to be. We have Youth Ambassadors at both (Riverview and Hillcrest) Junior Highs, even a few in sixth grade. All high school youth are welcome. It doesn’t matter where you go to school; we have students from Skyline, Murray, Cottonwood, homeschooled and private schools.”

MYCC started in 2002 when they branched off a “Job Ready Class” at Murray High School. The students in that class learned about business, entrepreneurship, service and government. 

“My theory is to look for gaps in the system and create something,” Van Bibber said. “Where there are holes, there are opportunities. We started with six Murray kids in 2002, and it has grown ever since.”

According to Van Bibber, “Some of the students enjoyed it so much they wanted to keep engaged with the city, the mayor, and council; they did internships with the businesses and helped with service projects all year. So, we looked across the country and couldn’t find anything comparable that involved students.”

They have helped the city with many things, including providing heat packs for the police and fire departments, and school district employees. They also collect blankets and towels for Murray veterans. 

In addition to serving the community, MYCC members can earn scholarships. Murray City, the Murray Exchange Club, Red Cross, and Jenn Kikel-Lynn Wells (The Give Back Brokerage), and the Murray Chamber Golf Tournament contributed $14,000 in scholarships.

“We have kept going through the pandemic by ‘Meet Up’ text and emails and video chats. So it’s been nice to be together face-to-face finally. But we never stopped, we kept engaged through service the whole time, but safely,” Van Bibber said.

Youth also receive training and lessons on leadership. In addition, they attend a leadership conference at Utah State University and prepare to be part of a Community Emergency Response Team.

“The students run this. And, we have an adviser that supports us from Murray High and an adviser from the Chamber and the Murray Exchange Club. So, we are totally a volunteer group, and this is a positive and energetic group of kiddos that will one day run this city, if not the U.S.,” Van Bibber said. 

Those interested in joining the MYCC can call Sheri Van Bibber at (801) 808-0830 or the Murray Chamber (801) 263-2632.