Uptown Community Board Seeking Young Members

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — A group of volunteers serving Washington Heights and Inwood is looking to recruit younger members. The Community Board 12 youth and education committee will hold an orientation meeting Thursday for people aged 16-26 interested in serving on the board.

Community Boards — advisory bodies made up of members of the public — are often a neighborhood's primary advocate on local issues such as transportation, land use and public safety. As an advisory body, Community Boards help elected officials understand what the neighborhood wants done on an issue before taking an official stance.

The meeting will be held Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Community Board's offices at 530 W. 166th St., between Audubon and St. Nicholas avenues, Room 6-B.

Applications to serve on Community Boards can be filled out online or by hand and must be sent to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer's office before February 3 — so act quickly. People serving on community boards are unpaid volunteers and serve for two years. In addition to being on the main board, members are expected to join two board committees, which often hold monthly meetings.

"Community Boards may be New York City's most grassroots level of government, but they are deeply involved in our city's biggest policy questions," Brewer said in a statement. "Community Board members help make New York work: negotiating to build affordable housing, planning safer streets, creating and preserving public spaces, and keeping our city government’s agencies accountable to each of our neighborhoods. I encourage New Yorkers of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life to apply and serve."

Here's a flyer for the meeting, courtesy of Community Board 12:Photo courtesy of Community Board 12