Mayor's Youth Council

Mayor Stephanie Orman is looking for students currently in grades 9-11 to serve on her 2023 Youth Council in Bentonville. This is a 12 month program where students will hear from a different City department each month. The Youth Council will foster an understanding of how municipal government works, provide a conduit for youth to communicate with city leadership and help promote civic engagement. 

The Youth Council will meet on the 3rd Friday of the month from 6:30-7:30 a.m.  Mayor Orman chose this meeting time to try and accommodate varying student schedules due to multiple extracurricular commitments….early morning before school seemed to have the least conflicts. The program is designed to be in-person meetings at various city building locations.

Mayor Orman is looking for students with the desire to learn more about City government.  Because this program operates on a calendar year, and not the school-year calendar, only candidates in grades 9-11 will be considered, as long as they live within the Bentonville Corporate City limits, which does not include all Bentonville mailing addresses. We are happy to confirm that the student meets residency requirements prior to the application form being submitted. Mayor Orman is looking for a diverse pool of students with the mindset listed above and individuals that will engage themselves in this initiative. 

If you attend a school in Bentonville, please reach out to your administration office for an application. If you live in Bentonville, but do not attend school in Bentonville, please reach out to the Mayor’s Assistant at mayor_assistant@bentonvillear.com or via phone at 479-271-5966 for further information. 

Attendance at all meetings is required to be eligible to receive the certificate at the end of the program unless an emergency absence is approved. Mayor Orman will present these certificates to those members that complete the program at the December 12, 2023 City Council meeting. 

If you have any questions regarding this program, please feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to help and look forward to hearing back from you.