Chairman & Mayor’s YLC Seeking Youth Leaders for 2022-2023 School Year

ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Chairman and Mayor's Youth Leadership Council (YLC) is seeking new members for the 2022-2023 school year. Applications are being accepted directly from students and now local agencies can nominate students for this great opportunity.

Facilitated by the Winnebago County Health Department since 2017, the YLC promotes the development of diverse young leaders in our community by providing hands on experience with how government works and building skills they can use to initiate change.

"Our goal is to invest in our youth today to create strong leaders for tomorrow," said Winnebago County Board Chairman Joseph Chiarelli.

"I am optimistic that this group will help to steer some important community conversations with residents of all ages in the coming year," said Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara.

As a member of the Council, students will have the opportunity to participate in civic engagement, special events, group community projects, and youth advisory meetings with discussions that include the Mayor and Chairman, and/or other elected officials.

Every high school student within Winnebago County is eligible to apply if they are:

• Sophomores or juniors in high school (returning members may be seniors)
• Interested in learning more about leadership, public policy, community health and local government
• Able to attend at least 70% (11 out of 15) of Youth Leadership Council meetings
• Self-starters with the potential to develop into a future leader of our community

NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY!All eligible high school students are welcome.

Join The YLC: High school students can apply on their own by completing the application here. Agencies that work with high school aged students are encouraged to nominate students here.Nominations will be accepted from teachers, principals, coaches, community leaders, elected officials or any person/agency who works with youth.Nominations by immediate family members are not accepted.

September 5, 2022 is the last day the Winnebago County Health Department will be accepting applications and nominations. Please direct application or nomination questions to Council Facilitator Erich Von Gillern at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..