Youth Leaders Are Shaping the Future of Environmental Policy
Source: Terra Verde podcast by KPFA Radio
Youth movements are at the forefront of the fight for a livable future. Around the world, young people are reimagining solutions to urgent environmental challenges and taking bold action to build a more sustainable and just world. On this episode of Terra Verde, host Fiona McLeod is joined by two young environmental leaders — Sophie Tipper and Lily YangLiu — to discuss their work advancing youth representation in environmental policy and decision-making. Sophie Tipper, an 18-year-old from Colorado, helped draft and pass a state bill guaranteeing youth representation in environmental justice governance. Both recently received the 2025 Brower Youth Award in recognition of their environmental achievements. Together, they reflect on the power and necessity of youth leadership in shaping a more equitable and sustainable future.
November 14, 2025
Teens pitch policy priorities to state lawmakers focused on education equity, substance abuse
Source: KUNC News/Colorado Capitol News Alliance
Despite budget cuts this year that nearly ended the program, members of Colorado’s Youth Advisory Council met with lawmakers this week to present more than a dozen policy proposals to legislators at the Capitol… This year’s proposals included expanding access to vocational programs for students with intellectual disabilities, developing a statewide life-skills curriculum for high […]
July 17, 2025
Youth Advisory Council gets a chance to shape state law
Source: 9News
Some teenagers with big time ideas are getting called up to the big leagues to pitch them.
July 15, 2025
Colorado Youth Advisory Council seeks students for 2025-27 term
Source: Greeley Tribune
Students can now apply [through June 5] for openings on the Colorado Youth Advisory Council for the 2025-27 term.
The 2025-27 term looks to fill two at-large seats for rural applicants, one opening for a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and State Senate district seats for 1, 4, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32 and 35. The two-year term starts July 1, 2025, and goes through June 30, 2027.
May 31, 2025
‘Real, lasting change’: Steamboat high school senior helps pass state law expanding naloxone access
Source: Steamboat Pilot & Today
When Steamboat Springs High School senior Makena James learned that the opioid overdose treatment bill she had worked on for three years had been signed into law, she cried.
“I’ve poured my blood, sweat and tears into it,” James said. “It was such a wonderful moment to see that something I did as a teenage girl from Colorado is going to help the lives of everyone in this state.”
Senate Bill 25-164, which was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on May 5, increases statewide access to naloxone, a lifesaving medication that can help reverse opioid overdoses.
May 29, 2025
101 bills debated by the Colorado legislature in 2025 that you need to know about
Source: Colorado Public Radio
Senate Bill 199: This measure suspends the operations of most legislative interim committees this year as a cost-cutting measure. It was signed into law by the governor. The affected panels include the Colorado Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee; Legislative Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Committee; Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Colorado Jail Standards; Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Tax Policy and Task Force; and the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee. The law also strips the Colorado Youth Advisory Council’s ability to request that legislation it drafts be introduced.
May 8, 2025
Inside a unique program that lets high school students shape Colorado state law
Source: KUNC Colorado Public Radio
Some of Colorado’s state laws share an unusual origin story. One set aside money to help foster kids attend college. Another provides free menstrual products in schools. A third law funded an awareness program to prevent eating disorders. All of these are laws that were designed and proposed by high school students, who actually drafted the language of each bill before legislators ultimately approved them.
May 1, 2025
Source: The Colorado Sun
Colorado lawmakers reversed course on Wednesday and decided to keep in place a 20-year-old program that gets teens involved at the Capitol — with a big caveat. The Colorado Youth Advisory Council will no longer have the power to draft bills for the legislature’s consideration.
COYAC never had the power to send bills directly to the legislature for consideration. Instead, their policies — a handful each year — were vetted through the Executive Committee of the Legislative Council, a panel of top statehouse Republicans and Democrats.
March 12, 2025
Colorado May End Program Promoting Teen Participation in Lawmaking
Source: Westword
“Young people have a hard time connecting with state policy; it feels so far away and out of reach. COYAC brings it down to a level you can relate to,” [alum Aimee] Resnick says. “Young people already feel really disinvested in politics right now across the political spectrum. If we lose COYAC, it’s just further telling young people that politics is not the place that they belong.
“It’s also a loss for the state of Colorado,” she adds. “It’s divesting in young people who are interested in public service and want to work to better our state.”
March 10, 2025
Bill would require Colorado schools to provide gun violence prevention material to parents
Source: Denver7
Most school shooters get their guns from the home of a parent or relative. The bill would require Colorado school districts to provide information to parents about safe gun storage at the beginning of every school year.
March 7, 2025
Colorado legislature’s executive committee cancels 10 committees, citing budget concerns (Paywalled)
Source: Colorado Politics
The Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee: Eliminating the council in 2025 and 2026 will save about $50,000 in general funds annually. The council’s members, made up of high school students around the state, will be allowed to make a scheduled presentation to the legislature in July but will not be allowed to meet after that nor offer legislation to the General Assembly for its consideration.
March 5, 2025
Snacks, anyone: This one hit Capitol M in the feels. (Paywalled)
Source: Colorado Politics
Rep. Ron Weinberg of Loveland is on a quest to reduce food waste this year. He’s got two bills that have already cleared the House on the issue. This pertains to the bill he and Rep. Lisa Feret of Arvada are carrying on behalf of the Representative Hugh McKean Colorado Youth Advisory Council Review Committee (that’s the feels part). Weinberg first got to the House and was appointed by a vacancy committee after the death of the respected House Minority Leader in 2022.
House Bill 1059 is about reducing food waste in public schools, but it’s dubbed the “snack bill” by some of his colleagues.
In honor of its recent passage through the House Education Committee, Weinberg’s colleagues decided to turn his desk into a snack station. The photo shows a small sample of the stuff they dumped on it.
The bill won a 60-3 vote from the House on Feb. 19 and is now waiting to be taken to the Senate snack bar. There, it will be up to the Janices—Sens. Rich of Grand Junction and Marchman of Loveland —to get it to the checkout line.
March 4, 2025
Opinion: Dear Colorado legislators: Don’t cut your youth advisory council just for a $50k savings
Source: The Colorado Sun
The money allocated for the teen program that connects youth to state policymakers has led to monumental change and success. I am 16 years old, a junior in high school, and I’ve been a member of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, or COYAC, for two years. I have become a more confident and driven person because of my time in COYAC, which connects teens with state legislators to give youth a direct voice in creating policy.
March 4, 2025
Source: The Colorado Sun
Pausing or cutting the program would require legislation.
February 21, 2025
Effort to reduce food waste in schools clears Colorado committee
Source: Fox31/CW2 TV
“We have a problem where people are not getting fed and we have schools where they are just throwing stuff in the trash can. And we had good-intentioned bills that put into place measures that want us to do good things like feed people, but we have no measure or protection in place for that food that goes in the trash can,” said Rep. Ron Weinberg of Loveland. The new bill encourages public schools to establish a program where students can return whole food or drinks, an idea presented to lawmakers by the Colorado Youth Advisory Council — the group of young people that presents ideas for laws every year.
February 13, 2025
Students look forward to a second year on Chief’s Youth Advisory Council, applications now open (Paywalled)
Source: The Colorado Springs Gazette
Ayush Vispute, a sophomore at Rampart High School, said he hopes to talk more about the issue of vaping in schools. “One thing that I want to advise the chief on and make him more aware of is the amount of vapes and drugs that are used in schools on a daily basis,” Vispute said. “When you walk into a school bathroom, there’s often just a hoard of people vaping, and that’s something that’s inherently a problem.” Vispute also is a member of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, where he said several other members say vaping in schools is also one of their major concerns.
August 28, 2024
Rep. Vigil Statement on Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee Meeting
Source: State Representative Stephanie Vigil
Statement from Representative Stephanie Vigil, Colorado Springs:
“As a member and Vice Chair of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee, I have the honor of engaging with Colorado youth about their most pressing issues. These hardworking students are Colorado’s future leaders, and I am impressed with their interest in the legislative process and all of the work that they put in to present their ideas to the committee. It is an honor to work alongside them to draft potential legislation that can make a real difference in our schools and communities, like reducing food waste in our schools and ensuring our school buildings are accessible for people with disabilities, and I am excited to see what we can accomplish together.”
August 15, 2024
Source: Colorado Newsline
Teens from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council presented to a state committee ideas that could turn into bills during the 2025 legislative session. The ideas included policy proposals related to naloxone distribution, accessibility and clean energy. The proposals were developed by committees within the COYAC. The group of teenagers on the council come from all over the state and range in age from 14 to 19. Students presented their ideas for the next session to the Legislature’s Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee last week.
August 6, 2024
These teens want to change the world — starting with Colorado laws
Source: Chalkbeat Colorado
Help schools install solar panels to cut fossil fuel use. Reduce cafeteria food waste by creating “share” tables and composting programs. Stock opioid overdose remedies in school AED cabinets. These are a few of ideas that Colorado teens proposed to state lawmakers on Thursday as part of a program that seeks to include young people in the legislative process. It’s possible some of the ideas could eventually become law.
August 1, 2024
Seeking youth advisor to Colorado Academic Standards revision committee (Apply by Aug. 1)
Source: Colorado Department of Education
A 2022 COYAC proposal that became SB23-008 Youth Involvement Education Standards Review created this position! The Colorado Department of Education will soon be accepting nominations and applications for Youth Advisors (ages 14-19) to the Colorado Academic Standards revision process for 2024-26. Applications open on June 1, 2024 and close at 11:59 PM on August 1, […]
June 12, 2024
A panel of students helps Colorado write laws. It’s looking for its next crop of teens.
Source: The Colorado Sun
The legislature’s longtime nonpartisan organization for youth is recruiting new members who want to help shape bills and the direction of the state
June 4, 2024
Legislature seeks applications for Youth Advisory Council
Source: The Mountain Mail
The Colorado General Assembly announced in a press release that it is looking for youth ages 14-19 to serve on the nonpartisan Colorado Youth Advisory Council for the 2024-25 term.
May 30, 2024
Colorado Youth Advisory Council seeks teen members
Source: Montrose Daily Press
The Colorado Legislature has openings for its nonpartisan Colorado Youth Advisory Council for the 2024-25 term, including in the local district, Senate District 5.
May 29, 2024
BEST & BRIGHTEST: A passion for public policy and theater [featuring Meghan Taylor]
Source: The Colorado Springs Gazette
Manitou Springs High School senior Meghan Taylor says creating a “safe and kind space for children” is one of the most important things to her. Taylor serves as the only teenager on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Suicide Prevention Commission and also serves on the Inside Out Youth Services Policy Advocacy Committee and as an executive board member of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council.
May 4, 2024
Youth Advisory Council Proposes Solutions for Violence, Mental Health and Gender-Affirming Practices
Source: Westword
Young Coloradans are often affected by policies passed by the state legislature while not being old enough to have a say in such legislation. But what if the kids were in charge?
August 11, 2023
Colorado teens seek new state laws to support transgender youth (Paywalled)
Source: Colorado Politics
The laws could mean life or death for young transgender Coloradans, the teenagers argued, detailing first- and second-hand accounts of transgender youth struggling with suicidal ideations due to issues they say have policy solutions.- Featuring COYAC members Mason Evans, Leigh Schmidt, and Meghan Taylor.
August 9, 2023
“A group of teenagers in Colorado might urge the Legislature to increase resources for health care providers to become trained in youth gender-affirming care as more people travel to the state from areas with limited access to such care…’This care is essential and it needs to be expanded statewide,’ Mason Evans, a member of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, told state lawmakers during a virtual Wednesday hearing.”
August 9, 2023
Governor’s Office news releases: Gov. Polis Signs Bills into Law
SB23-029 Disproportionate Discipline In Public Schools and SB23-076 Sunset Continue CO Youth Advisory Council
June 2, 2023
SB23-014 Disordered Eating Prevention
May 30, 2023
Colorado insurers will soon be barred from using an antiquated weight calculation to block a patient from accessing eating disorder care, under a new law signed Tuesday that also bans the sale of certain diet pills to minors.
May 30, 2023
Governor’s Office news releases: Governor Polis Signs Legislation Into Law
SB23-008 Youth Involvement Education Standards Review and HB23-1009 Secondary School Student Substance Use
April 26, 2023
In Colorado, one in 10 residents will be diagnosed with an eating disorder in their lifetime, with many more going undiagnosed, according to the Denver-based Eating Disorder Foundation.
March 20, 2023
Through these two bills, lawmakers and advocates say they want to curtail eating disorders here, working in schools and establishing preventative practices, like banning diet pills and educating adults to identify the diseases early.
March 20, 2023
Resnick, now 18 years old and recovered from her anorexia, is trying to help prevent other young Coloradans from going through what she went through.
March 18, 2023
House Democrats OK substance abuse intervention for Colorado middle, high schools (Paywalled)
Source: Colorado Politics
A proposal crafted by teenagers that seeks to offer substance abuse intervention guidelines to Colorado schools received approval on Wednesday from the state House. If passed into law, House Bill 1009 would create a committee tasked with developing best practices for middle and high schools to identify students who need substance use treatment, offer intervention and refer the students to treatment resources… The bill came from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, a group of local teenagers chosen to advise and recommend policies to lawmakers to address youth issues.
March 16, 2023
KUNC: Bills aimed at addressing disordered eating spotlight a growing public health issue
Aimee Resnick, in recovery since her hospitalization for anorexia in high school, worked with Sen. Moreno on eating disorder policy as a member of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, a statewide group of youth representation from across the state.
March 1, 2023
Colorado has an opportunity to respond to the needs of youth by passing a bill to create the Office of Disordered Eating Prevention…This legislation will be a trailblazer nationwide, creating the first-ever public health office devoted to disordered eating.
February 2, 2023
KUNC: Effort to expand substance abuse treatment in schools advances at the statehouse
Under HB23-1009, a new committee in the Department of Education would be tasked with developing a system for identifying and addressing substance misuse that could be used by schools across the state.
January 27, 2023
“Every single young person, including myself, can point to at least one peer who struggles with substances,” said Siddharth Nareddy, a student at Peak to Peak High School and another member of the Youth Advisory Council. “This bill is a necessary investment in the future of Colorado.”
January 25, 2023
Coming on the heels of a contentious debate over state social studies standards, Senate Bill 8 would create a formal process for current students to have a voice in the development of Colorado academic standards…
January 10, 2023
Teenagers from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council are pursuing three new state policies to address substance abuse, eating disorders and disciplinary actions in schools.
September 30, 2022
Features COYAC Alum: Aimee Resnick- The high rate of mental health struggles among her peers in Colorado is what prompted Aimee Resnick, 17, of Centennial, Colorado, to advocate for a now-state law that requires student ID cards to feature the state’s free, 24/7 mental health hotline.
September 26, 2022
Teenagers from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council proposed several new state policies on Friday, including suggestions to better address substance abuse, eating disorders and HIV in schools.
August 6, 2022
Our idea is to make sure they know, and now it’s a bill in the General Assembly
March 30, 2022
Colorado is one of only 15 states that doesn’t have a tuition waiver program for kids who grew up in foster care.
February 11, 2022
Chalkbeat Colorado: Colorado lawmakers may waive college tuition for foster youth
Many college students lack the necessary support to finish college. For students who were in the foster care system, sometimes there’s no support at all. A bill in the Colorado legislature would waive college tuition and fees for students who were in foster care past the age of 13.
February 3, 2022
Denver7: Colorado teen council to meet with lawmakers
Denver7’s Deb Stanley interviewed COYAC member Taleen Sample before a 2021 interim committee meeting of the state legislature.
October 21, 2021
In their presentation to the Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee, Aimee Resnick, a senior at Cherry Creek High School, Taleen Sample, a senior at Kent Denver School, and Bennett Lane, a senior at Denver North High School, said Safe2Tell was an effective tool in deterring school shootings.
October 12, 2021
Features COYAC Alum: Marwa Ahmadzai – Marwa Ahmadzai and Wisall Safi live just a few blocks away from one another in Thornton, Colorado. The teens have been friends for three years. But growing up, the friends hardly could have been further apart.
August 25, 2021
A panel of high school students charged with developing legislative recommendations on Friday told lawmakers they want to see bills improving access to mental health services for youth and higher education for foster students as well as measures to revamp the youth advisory council.
August 20, 2021
The state listened to a dozen students talk about their pandemic-challenged school year and how Colorado could make next year better.
July 9, 2021
Centennial Citizen: Making a difference as a teen
Youth Commission member Aimee Resnick says city making relevant decisions
March 2, 2021
Northglenn Thornton Sentinel: Ananda Birungi believes her own story, and so do others
Thornton High School grad receives a 2020 Governor’s Citizenship Medal
January 14, 2021
Colorado Politics: Eating disorders, school discipline, substance abuse among proposals Colorado teens seek to advance
Teenagers from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council are pursuing three new state policies to address substance abuse, eating disorders and disciplinary actions in schools.
September 30, 2022
Good Morning America Wellness: After his brother died by suicide, this teacher changed how he talks to students about mental health
Features COYAC Alum: Aimee Resnick- The high rate of mental health struggles among her peers in Colorado is what prompted Aimee Resnick, 17, of Centennial, Colorado, to advocate for a now-state law that requires student ID cards to feature the state’s free, 24/7 mental health hotline.
September 26, 2022
Colorado Politics: Colorado teens propose addressing substance abuse, eating disorders, HIV in schools
Teenagers from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council proposed several new state policies on Friday, including suggestions to better address substance abuse, eating disorders and HIV in schools.
August 6, 2022
The Colorado Sun: Opinion by Aimee Resnick: Help is available to teens in crisis — if they know who to call.
Our idea is to make sure they know, and now it’s a bill in the General Assembly
March 30, 2022
The Colorado Sun: “We are their parent”: Proposal calls for free college tuition for Colorado children in foster care
Colorado is one of only 15 states that doesn’t have a tuition waiver program for kids who grew up in foster care.
February 11, 2022
Chalkbeat Colorado: Colorado lawmakers may waive college tuition for foster youth
Many college students lack the necessary support to finish college. For students who were in the foster care system, sometimes there’s no support at all. A bill in the Colorado legislature would waive college tuition and fees for students who were in foster care past the age of 13.
February 3, 2022
Denver7: Colorado teen council to meet with lawmakers
Denver7’s Deb Stanley interviewed COYAC member Taleen Sample before a 2021 interim committee meeting of the state legislature.
October 21, 2021
Colorado Politics: School tip line sees 101% uptick in calls; interim panel examines legislative solutions
In their presentation to the Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee, Aimee Resnick, a senior at Cherry Creek High School, Taleen Sample, a senior at Kent Denver School, and Bennett Lane, a senior at Denver North High School, said Safe2Tell was an effective tool in deterring school shootings.
October 12, 2021
Rocky Mountain PBS: Two Colorado teens, one born in the U.S. and the other in Afghanistan, share a poem of hope
Features COYAC Alum: Marwa Ahmadzai – Marwa Ahmadzai and Wisall Safi live just a few blocks away from one another in Thornton, Colorado. The teens have been friends for three years. But growing up, the friends hardly could have been further apart.
August 25, 2021
Colorado Politics: Youth panel calls for bills on mental health, access to higher education for foster care students
A panel of high school students charged with developing legislative recommendations on Friday told lawmakers they want to see bills improving access to mental health services for youth and higher education for foster students as well as measures to revamp the youth advisory council.
August 20, 2021
The Colorado Sun: Free meals, flexible schedules: Colorado kids on where federal stimulus money for schools should go
The state listened to a dozen students talk about their pandemic-challenged school year and how Colorado could make next year better.
July 9, 2021
Centennial Citizen: Making a difference as a teen
Youth Commission member Aimee Resnick says city making relevant decisions
March 2, 2021
Northglenn Thornton Sentinel: Ananda Birungi believes her own story, and so do others
Thornton High School grad receives a 2020 Governor’s Citizenship Medal
January 14, 2021
Prodded by a contagious concern for their future, students engage with the legislative process — and increasingly find their ideas reflected in results.
December 10, 2020
Rocky Mountain PBS: Aimee’s Story
Aimee Resnick wants other young people to know the path to recovery is not always easy. The 15-year-old says she first planned to end her life when she was 12.
November 23, 2020
Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday signed into law his first bill of 2020, which added two tribal youth positions to the Colorado Youth Advisory Council
February 26, 2020
Features COYAC Alum: Aimee Resnick – Resnick told her story as part of the launch of the Believe Denver Initiative, a project created by AT&T, which is contributing a total of $250,000 to four nonprofits that work with youth: The Trevor Project, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, City Year Denver, an Americorps member, and One Colorado.
September 18, 2019