On November 29, 2011, Voices for Change signed an official partnership agreement with Howard County Public School System.

Under the terms of the partnership agreement, the Office of Children’s Services will continue to lead the Voices of Change coalition, a group of youth and adults representing diverse community organizations. Participation in the coalition gives students in grades 8-12 an opportunity to develop leadership skills and awareness of the issues and opportunities within the county.

Voices for Change will implement the recommendations of the 2009 Howard County Youth Task Force, including development of HCYouth.org, an information clearinghouse and calendar of activities for young people. It will also sponsor the annual student-run Youth Summit to expose students to service opportunities with different community organizations. Students participating in the coalition will serve as a resource to county decision makers and community groups for advice on youth issues, help with projects and membership on boards.

Lois Mikkila, Director, Department of Citizen Services; Keri Hyde, Administrator, Office of Children’s Services; and Meg Mekelburg, Youth Outreach Specialist, Office of Children’s Services joined Ellen Flynn Giles, Member, Howard County Board of Education; Susan Mascaro, Chief of Staff and Ronnie Bohn, School Administration for the Howard County Public School System to sign the formal partnership agreement.

For more details, take a look at HCPSS’ press release about the partnership signing.