Taskforce on Student Engagement

Timothy Hwang, Montgomery County SMOB

History and Background
 Throughout the county, there is a prevailing idea that students
are viewed as liabilities. The more students we have, the
larger the strain on resources.


 On February 3, the Montgomery County Council held its very

first Youth Town Hall to speak to youth about the issues
they have in their communities.


 After the meeting, I spoke with several non-profit leaders who

were interested in finding some common ground to work
together in these hard economic times to really utilize and
harness the power of students to target some of the most
pressing issues in our county.



Core Values
 Mission: To help solve some of the County’s most pressing issues
through student engagement and to get students involved in
every aspect of the county through budget-neutral and innovative
methods. Community service, volunteerism, and student
engagement will be the core values of the taskforce.


 Vision: This county will change it’s perspective of students as

liabilities to assets. Completely student-run action plans will be
made to combat some of the most pressing issues in our county.


 Focus Areas (6):

 Political Efficacy
 Crime/Gangs/Drugs
 Mentoring/Academics
 Poverty/Hunger/Youth Entrepreneurship
 Healthcare/Teen Pregnancy/Mental Health
 Environment

Structure and
Stakeholders
 Overall the Taskforce is broad and all encompassing but is
held together by one core belief. There will be six
committees under the Taskforce based on the 6 focus
areas - co-chaired by the Student Member of the Board
and one other active student.


 Stakeholders will consist of non-profits, community groups,

community leaders, parents, students leaders, club
leaders, government leaders, administrators - anyone who
is seeking to place input into the taskforce in their
respective committee and can mobilize students to get the
job done.



Timeline
 Stakeholder Recruiting (February 2010 - March 2010)
 Taskforce Stakeholder Interest Meeting (March 2010)
 Committee Meetings (March 2010 – May 2010)
 Action Plan Meetings (May 2010 - June 2010)
 Taskforce Stakeholder Meeting (June 2010)
 Report for Staff (July 2010)
 Preparation and Collaboration based on Action Plans (July
2010 – August 2010)
 Implementation (FY 2010-2011)


 4 Steps
 1. Goals
 2. Ideas for solutions via student engagement
 3. Methods of Collaboration
 4. Implementation (Action Plan)

Examples
 Political Efficacy
 Goal: Raise political efficacy among Youth; Register 6,000 high
school seniors to vote in Montgomery County
 Stakeholders: Staff, Community, County Government, Model UN
Clubs, Young Democrats Clubs, Young Republicans Clubs, Young
Independents Clubs, Debate Teams, JSA Clubs, MCR, etc.


 Mentoring/Academics
 Goal: Make a significant impact on students academic achievement
through student engagement
 Stakeholders: Staff, Community, MCPS, Mentoring non-profits,
National Honors Societies, Student Governments, Tutoring Clubs,
etc.