---
date: 2025-12-18
title: Youth Council Advisory Committee Agenda Packet
source: 2025-12/2025-12-18_Youth Council Advisory Committee_Agenda Packet.pdf
pages: 1
---

STOCKBRIDGE Youth Council Advisory
YOUTH COUNCIL Committee
ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting Agenda
Dr. Alfreda Renee Gourdine, Chair
December 18, 2025 6:30 PM
Ayesha Gambles, Vice-Chair
Joc’Quelyn Carter, Treasurer
Sharika Zellars, Student Liaison
Dr. Samuel Valme, Secretary
Valerie Richmond-Reese, Parliamentarian

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Tykera Goins
Candis Jones
Paige Jones III
Georgia McIntyre
Denita Minnis
Dr. Thomas Smith
STOCKBRIDGE CITY HALL

4640 NORTH HENRY BLVD.
STAFF LIAISON
Cassandra Lester STOCKBRIDGE, GA 30281

Website: www.stockbridgega.org

Phone: 770-389-7900

Fax: 770-389-7912
AGENDA
YOUTH COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025 6:30 PM

I. Call to Order
1. Invocation Followed by Pledge
2. Roll Call
3. Approve Agenda
4. Approve November 20th, 2025 Meeting Minutes
II. Officers and City Staff Reports
III. Old Business
5. Stockbridge Tree Lighting Event
6. SYC Winter Wonderland Update
7. AC Board Position
8. GA Cities 2026
IV. New Business
9. SYC/AC Attendance Report
10. Approved SYC/AC Bylaws Resolution
11. Upcoming Calender Update
12. Budget Review
V. Executive Session (if needed)
VI. Adjourn

The Youth Advisory Council Committee is to make recommendations to Council based on the following Terms
of Reference.
1. To identify and advise on youth issues in the City of Stockbridge.
2. To advise Council on the development of policies that are responsive to the needs of youth.
3. To consult with local youth and feedback results of consultations to Council.
4. To assist in the ongoing development and delivery of youth-targeted projects and programs.
5. To create opportunities for youth leadership development by acting as a resource for youth activities.

Note: This Committee meets monthly on selected dates.
Stockbridge Youth Council Advisory Committee Special Call Meeting Minutes
November 23, 2025

I. Call to Order
a) Quorum was met, and the meeting was called to order at 18:30

1. Invocation led by Dr. Renee Gourdine
• Pledge of Allegiance: recited in unison

2. Roll Call

Roll Call Members Absent:
Dr. Renee Gourdine Georgia McIntyre Dr. Thomas Smith
Ayesha Gambles Candis Jones @18:43 Joc’Quelyn Carter
Dr. Samuel Valme Sharika Zellars @18:44
Valerie Richmond-Reese Paige Jones III @18:55
Tykera Goins
Denita Minnis

3. Approve Agenda

Madam Vice Chair: I make a motion to amend the agenda to add to New Business Item 14:
Student Calendar 2026.

a) Motion: Ayesha Gambles
b) Second: Valerie Richmond-Reese
c) In Favor: All present
d) Oppose: None
e) Abstain: None
f) Motion carried

4. Approve October 21st 2025 SCM Minutes

Madam Chair: Please review the October 21st, meeting minutes. I will need a motion to
accept the minutes.

g) Motion: Denita Minnis
h) Second: Tykera Goins
i) In Favor: All present
j) Oppose: None
k) Abstain: None
l) Motion carried

II. Old Business

5. City of Stockbridge Tree Lighting Ceremony

Madam Chair: The City of Stockbridge Tree Lighting Ceremony is coming up on Friday,
December 5th, which is the week after Thanksgiving. At our July meeting, Candis Jones agreed to
oversee and chair the event.

Madam Vice Chair: The students plan to stuff the stockings during their meeting on Monday.
The items that were ordered are in Cassandra’s office.

Madam Chair: In addition to Candis, I will be there. If anyone else plans to attend, please let us
know now.

Valerie Richmond-Reese: What time does the tree lighting start?

Madam Chair: The Tree Lighting Ceremony is on December 5th, 2025, and begins at 5:00 p.m.
We should plan to arrive by 4:30 p.m.

Madam Chair: Mr. Secretary, please note Ms. Candis Jones’s arrival at 18:43.

Madam Vice Chair: Are you still planning to chair the event?

Candis Jones: Yes.

Madam Chair: We will schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss the logistics for the event.

Madam Vice Chair: I will not be at the actual Tree Lighting Ceremony, but I will attend the
students’ meeting to help with stuffing the stockings.

Madam Chair: Please note Ms. Sharika Zellars’s arrival at 18:44. Ms. Candis Jones is chairing
the City of Stockbridge Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 5th. We need to determine who
will be available to help with the student stocking-stuffing event on Monday, December 1st, 2025,
at 6:30 p.m.

Madam Chair: Ms. Sharika, can you give an update on the stocking-stuffing event?

Sharika Zellars: This is for the December 5th event. We received the order and supplies. We will
have some toys displayed on the table, and the stockings will be available for anyone to pick up.
We plan to prepare 100 stockings based on what was ordered. If we have extra items, we will
continue stuffing until everything is used.

Madam Vice Chair: So far, I have the following members attending on December 1st:
• Denita Minnis
• Tykera Goins
• Valerie Richmond-Reese (Tentative)
• Dr. Renee Gourdine
• Ayesha Gambles
• Sharika Zellars

Madam Chair: For December 5th:

• Candis Jones (Chair)
• Dr. Renee Gourdine
• Sharika Zellars
• Tykera Goins (Tentative)

Madam Vice Chair: We will also post this information in GroupMe for anyone who is not here
but would like to attend.

6. SYC Winter Wonderland – January 2026

Madam Chair: Next, we will discuss the SYC Winter Wonderland scheduled for January 2026.
Ms. Sharika, would you like to give an update on the event?

Sharika Zellars: The Winter Wonderland event is a skating event we plan to hold at the Starlite
Family Fun Center in January. We are still finalizing the attendance numbers. This will be our
first event under the 2026 initiative and will focus on promoting physical activity and wellness.
We’ve already ordered several large games and are working through the details of how we want
to host the event. We do not plan to rent the entire skating rink or make it a private event; we want
community members to be able to walk in and participate.

The tentative date is January 10, 2026, with a potential time of 4:00–8:00 p.m. We should begin
advertising right after the Thanksgiving holidays and continue through mid-December to give us
about a month of promotion. I’m hesitant about purchasing a large banner unless it is a step-and-
repeat without a date printed on it.

Dr. Samuel Valme: You may want to consider using a QR code to avoid issues with date
changes on printed banners.

Madam Chair: If we use a QR code, that would be an added cost we would need to include in
our budget.

Sharika Zellars: Does the QR code require a subscription to stay active?

Madam Vice Chair: Yes.

Sharika Zellars: We have a marketing and advertising line item, so we could use that to cover
the QR code cost. If we go that route, the subscription should run for the entire year.

Madam Chair: A subscription makes sense. Let’s plan to vote on it at our next meeting.

Valerie Richmond-Reese: When is our next meeting?

Sharika Zellars: In December, are we meeting on the 18th, or are we meeting on the third
Thursday? If we plan to meet on the 18th, I would like to request that we vote on the Winter
Wonderland budget earlier because we cannot begin planning that late in the month.

Madam Chair: At our last meeting, we already approved a Winter Wonderland budget of $680.

Madam Vice Chair: That amount was projected based on what remained from the 2025 budget.
This event will come out of the 2026 budget.

Sharika Zellars: The venue rental is $1,500, which we are not planning to do. However, we still
need to budget around $2,000. My hope is we stay under that amount. As an alternative, the
Jonesboro Youth Council does a model where the first 100 attendees get in free. We could
consider something similar, but we need enough funds to cover our students and advisory
members. Anything under $1,000 will not be enough since we have 25 members combined.

Madam Vice Chair: Do we know the per-person cost?

Sharika Zellars: It depends on what they want to do. Admission is about $5.99, and skate rentals
are $17.00, so it comes out to roughly $20 per person. The $1,500 figure is only for renting the
entire venue.

Madam Vice Chair: Based on the numbers, renting the venue almost seems cheaper.

Sharika Zellars: The issue is that the $1,500 rental only covers 2.5 hours and includes just 50
guests. With 25 students plus advisory members, we would quickly exceed that limit. Additional
guests cost $25 each, and extra hours cost $600 per hour.

Madam Vice Chair: We also want to invite the Jonesboro Youth Council, since they always
invite us. Their attendance alone could push us over the 50-person limit.

Sharika Zellars: Exactly. Students are also expected to invite three friends each.

Tykera Goins: Since time is limited, can we at least put out a “save the date”?

Sharika Zellars: The students meet on December 1st, and the Advisory Committee does not meet
again until December 18th. If we approve the budget now, we can have the information ready for
the students on December 1st and create a “save the date” flyer. The venue is open only on
Wednesdays and Thursdays after 4:00 p.m.

Madam Chair: If needed, I can go to the venue and speak with them and call you with the
details.

Dr. Samuel Valme: Since we plan to invite Jonesboro Youth Council, it may help to get a
headcount from them for planning.

Tykera Goins: It may also be worth seeing if the venue would like to partner with us on
promotion.

Madam Chair: We can track registration through Eventbrite, and Candis Jones will oversee that.

Dr. Samuel Valme: Are we planning any recruitment efforts during the event?

Sharika Zellars: Yes. I plan to speak with the venue manager about allowing us to hand out
information about the Youth Council and the EXPO.

Madam Chair: Ms. Sharika, do we need to vote on anything? We would need to amend the
previously approved amount. We can entertain a motion to increase the budget from $680 to
$2,000.

Sharika Zellars: I would like the total budget for the event to be $3,000.

Madam Chair: We will increase the budget by $2,320. We will vote to increase the SYC Winter
Wonderland budget from $680 to $3,000. This amount includes the QR code subscription. Can
someone make that motion?

Sharika Zellars: I make a motion to increase the Winter Wonderland budget to $3,000 based on
the $680 already approved.

1. Motion: Sharika Zellars
2. Second: Ayesha Gambles
3. In Favor: All present
4. Oppose: None
5. Abstain: None
6. Motion carried

7. AC Board Position(s)

Madam Chair: Moving on to the Advisory Committee Board Positions. As we know, several
terms ended in December, and some members may or may not continue. Dr. Valme has many
commitments and will not be staying on. I appreciate him for notifying us in advance. His
position is now open, so we will need a new Secretary.

If anyone would like to volunteer tonight, that would be helpful. Otherwise, we will need to fill
the Secretary position at our January meeting. Are there any volunteers this evening? Dr. Valme
will provide all of his worksheets. The Secretary’s responsibilities include taking minutes and
occasionally reviewing the students’ minutes to ensure they align with ours.

8. Area Beautification

Madam Chair: Regarding Area Beautification, this continues to be a challenge for us. I ask that
everyone make an effort to come out and support the students. We want to ensure they are not out
there alone and that at least one or two Advisory Committee members are present to assist. Let’s
all commit to Area Beautification, as it is an important part of what we do and a core
responsibility of the Youth Council.

III. New Business

9. SYC Food Drive Initiative - Update

Madam Chair: Let’s move into new business with the SYC Food Drive Initiative. Ms. Sharika
and the Youth Council have a food drive currently underway. Sharika, can you share more details
about it?

Sharika Zellars: The food drive is taking place at the schools where our students are enrolled,
including Dutchtown High School, Eagles Landing High School, and Woodland High School.
Additionally, there are a couple of collection boxes here at City Hall on the first floor, where
residents come to pay their utilities and taxes. The food collection will conclude tomorrow,
November 21, 2025, as that is when the students begin their break. The students will bring the
collected items here for the city’s food giveaway on Saturday. If the city does not require any of
the donated items, we will contribute them to the food pantry located off Rock Quarry Road.

10. GA Cities 2026 – Atlanta Georga

Madam Chair: Moving on to the GA Cities 2026 event—Atlanta, Georgia, will host it from
January 23–26, 2026 (Friday through Monday). The Georgia Municipal Association offers a
leadership forum for students and the state of Georgia. This program was previously combined
with the City Council and Mayor’s activities, but they split it to better address the needs of the
students.

Madam Chair: In our July meeting, Tykera, you mentioned being tentatively available as a
chaperone. Do these dates work for you?

Tykera Goins: I can remain tentative. It depends on my school schedule, but if these are the
confirmed dates, I can try to block them out.

Chaperones and Participants:

• Chaperone 1: Tykera Goins
• Chaperone 2: Denita Minnis
• Six students
• Alternates: Dr. Renee Gourdine, Ayesha Gambles

Madam Chair: We will have the students’ names finalized before the event timeframe. A
slideshow presentation from our students is required, and we will distribute it beforehand. The
event will be in Atlanta, and transportation will be provided via a 15-passenger van.

Sharika Zellars: For January, the schedule is as follows: Area Beautification on the 3rd, Winter
Skate event on the 10th, Councilperson Alexander Clean-Up, MLK Clean-Up on the 17th, and
GA Cities on the 23rd—four weekends in total.

Denita Minnis: Can you provide the event times?

Valerie Richmond-Reese: The event runs from Friday afternoon to Monday evening;
participants will stay overnight.

Madam Chair: Attendance is required for the full duration. Shifts cannot be split.

Sharika Zellars: I recommend that at least one returning member attends, so new members who
have not previously participated have guidance on the event flow.

Sharika Zellars: Regarding the Area Beautification event, it was initially scheduled for January
10th. Are we proceeding with it? This is right after New Year’s—what is student availability?

Madam Chair: We will cancel the Area Beautification event on January 10th.

Sharika Zellars: On January 2nd, we have the Mayor-elect swearing-in for Jayden. We would
like all participants to attend in their SYC apparel to show support.

11. 3rd Quarter Calendar

Madam Chair: Is there anything we want to bring up regarding the 3rd Quarter Calendar, which
covers February, March, and April?

Sharika Zellars: The Expo is scheduled for the end of March, and the Police Dinner will take
place in April.

12. Budget Review/Update

Madam Chair: Budget Review/Update—are there any updates on this item?

Madam Vice Chair: The $2,386 includes all items ordered for the Winter Festival, so that is our
current status. The only other items relate to the next agenda item, Track it Forward. I want to
ensure everyone has their profiles set up.

Madam Chair: Point of order—are there any other budget-related matters before we move on to
the next item?

13. Track it Forward – Community Service Tracker

Madam Chair: Go ahead with the Track It Forward – Community Service Tracker.

Madam Vice Chair: For Track It Forward, I would like everyone to set up their profiles. I plan to
go back through the minutes starting in August and update the service hours for everything we’ve
attended up to this point. This will allow Sharika to use the tracker for accurate reporting and help
us stay accountable for our required hours as outlined in the by-laws. I will be working on this
next week.

The app is subscription-based. Right now, we are using the free version. I believe the paid version
will help us track hours for student credit and other purposes. The annual cost is $432, which
covers up to 100 users.

Sharika Zellars: This will make it much easier to prepare the students’ quarterly reports. When
students request their hours, we currently have to gather everything manually, compile it into a
report, and then send it out. That takes a lot of time behind the scenes. I believe the $432 is worth
reducing that workload.

Paige Jones III: That comes out to $36 per month.

Madam Vice Chair: Our free subscription expires on December 5th. My question is whether we
can vote tonight to purchase the yearly subscription.

Madam Chair: Track It Forward is definitely a useful tool. Can someone make a motion to
approve the budget request for the $432 subscription?

Sharika Zellars: I make a motion to approve the purchase of the Track It Forward annual
subscription for $432.

a) Motion: Sharika Zellars
b) Second: Paige Jones III
c) In Favor: All present
d) Oppose: None
e) Abstain: None
f) Motion carried

14. Student Calendar 2026

Sharika Zellars: I would like everyone, for the December meeting, to come prepared with their
dates so we can submit all of our events for the remainder of the calendar year. We need this
information before December 8th. We can provide the month and year, and I can also provide the
meeting calendar for both the Advisory and Youth Council meetings. We also need to capture the
times and account for any conflicts with holidays or school breaks.

Madam Chair: Please send those dates to Cassandra if needed. I can provide the Advisory
Committee meeting dates. We will hold off on any motions until we finalize the proper language.
The Advisory Calendar is in good shape.

IV. Executive Session (if needed)
1. Not required

V. Adjourn
a) Motion: Valerie Richmond-Reese
b) Second: Paige Jones III
c) In Favor: All present
d) Oppose: None
e) Abstain: None
f) Motion carried
g) Adjourned at 19:53
