Tuolumne County Youth Commission
The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors has recently created the Tuolumne County Youth Commission which consists of nine actively voting youth members, five non-voting adult advisors, and our mentor Supervisor Liz Bass. We hope that you will enjoy the opinions of the two council members on the subject of growing up here versus moving here.
Moving Up Here by Kelsie Klaahsen
- Pro: I’ve had the experience of living in the big city, which doesn’t always have the best of situations when it comes to socializing and education.
- Pro: Many of the classes in school are smaller so there is a lot more one on one attention from teacher(s) to student(s). Also most teachers in Tuolumne County care about educating the children who live here.
- Con: You have to see the same people most days of the week and you never meet anyone new.
- Con: The infrastructure and wildlife of Tuolumne County make driving a lot more hazardous because of the curvy roads and unpredictable actions of deer, raccoons, squirrels, etc.
Growing Up Here by Dana Marler
- Pro: People are extremely friendly in Tuolumne County and I really like the slow paced environment that the locals embrace.
- Pro: I really love the natural settings of Tuolumne County and the privacy that nature enables.
- Con: There is a lack of recreational activities for the local youth; especially those who reside a distance from Jamestown or Sonora. (I.e. Groveland, Coulterville, Don Pedro, etc.)
- Con: Because of our lower population of students compared to other towns and cities our educational options are highly restricted to basic curriculums.
Q & A
- Q: Would you raise a family here?
- K: I don’t think I would raise my family here because of the options to make life altering mistakes that my future children would be given; however, the wonderful education might make up that difference.
- D: I think it is a nice place to raise a family in this tight knit community like the one we have here; although, there are more opportunities that would be afforded to my future children in a bigger city.
- Q: Would you leave, come back, or stay in Tuolumne County?
- K: I definitely would leave because I don’t prefer the seclusion of the county from mainstream resources.
- D: I will leave to go to college. I don’t see myself returning due to the lack of economic options in my career path.
- Q: Do you believe that Tuolumne County provides a healthy environment for youth?
- K: To a certain extent it is a healthy and safe environment for children, but as we get older more detrimental choices are provided to the youth that reside here.
- D: I believe it is a healthy environment for youth, even though there aren’t many recreational activities around for children.
We hope you enjoyed the wonderful holidays and continue to have a prosperous and joyful 2011.
