The Wilson Youth Council will hold three virtual open house events this week to welcome its newest members.

The group is now accepting a limited number of students for its spring 2021 semester. Eligible students can be from private, public, charter or home schools. Juniors, sophomores and freshmen are eligible to apply. 

“The virtual open houses are the first step to joining the Wilson Youth Council during this COVID atmosphere,” said Theresa Mathis, WYC adviser. “We delayed having new members simply because we wanted students to have the true experience. Once we got our format settled in the fall, we are now ready to open the doors to new members, and the open house will be their first chance to learn about it, ask questions and understand how we are operating virtually.”

The first open house is at 7 p.m Tuesday. Other virtual open houses are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday and noon Saturday.

All three open houses will be held via Zoom videoconference. 

Interested students should register prior to the meeting, and parents are encouraged to join their teenager during the session.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson Youth Council meetings and volunteer projects came to a halt. However, members coordinated virtually over the summer and got the program back on track.

“When it comes to technology, teenagers are more adaptable than adults,” Mathis said. “Sometimes we have to step back and get out of their way. The teens quickly formulated ideas on how the council could continue. Our members have thrived and found new ways to support the community.”

The youth council currently holds twice monthly Zoom meetings. 

“We have been doing three service projects a month,” Mathis said. “We have labeled them a donation project, a ‘do’ project and a home project.”

“Do” projects are something the teens can do individually and collectively. 

“For instance, the Wilson County library was having a Halloween book reading day, so the teenagers each made a video reading a book from the library, and then we sent all of those videos to the library and they posted them on Oct. 31 and had a day of scary stories,” Mathis said. “So the students were able to do each project on their own, but together, they were able to help somebody reach a need in the community.”

The group’s donation projects have varied from health kits to food drives to a toy drive.

“We are excited to offer an organization where the teens not only are involved but have input,” Mathis said. “The teen council is run by an executive board selected by their peers. While I serve as the coach, the teens really do provide the direction, the goals, the ideas. We listen to their voices and ideas and help them put their ideas into action.”

The council has been around for about 15 years, and Mathis has been affiliated for about 13 of those years. It’s sponsored by the city of Wilson’s Human Relations Office. 

“I have been amazed at the engagement and level of excitement these teens have for their community,” said Dante Pittman, director of human relations. “I am impressed and so proud of the open dialogue they have surrounding difficult topics and the willingness they have to make a difference in Wilson.”

Any teenager interested in joining can register for a virtual open house. A registration link is available on the city website, WilsonNC.org, and can be found by typing “Wilson Youth Council” in the search field. 

For more information, contact the human relations office by calling 252-399-2308 or emailing Mathis at tmathis@wilsonnc.org.