The teenage members of the Farmington Youth City Council are engaging with local government and uplifting their community, one act of service at a time.

Emme Kovacs serves as the youth council advisor. She was part of the Farmington Youth City Council as a teenager and has been leading students in those same footsteps for the past four years.

“These kids just all genuinely seem like they want to be involved,” Kovacs said. “It’s just really cool to see all these youth getting together and actually wanting to be a part of the community.”

For the 2026-2027 term, all students who submitted an application to be on the youth council were accepted into the program. It’s a first-time move that yielded 37 members, the largest youth council in Farmington’s history. Together, they meet with city departments and facilitate service projects throughout Farmington.

“The back of our shirt says ‘We’re all about service,’ and it’s truly what we try to implement here,” Kovacs said. 

Several students reported that they joined the council to get more involved in the city’s happenings.

“I just want to be able to help my community because I felt like I wasn’t as much a part of it as I should’ve (been),” Meher Grover, a student on the council, said.

The opportunity to serve families and individuals around Farmington has been a keynote aspect of joining the council, members said. Carter Richardson, a youth city council member, saw his service personally affect families at this year’s city-sponsored Easter egg hunt.

“That was really cool, to see the light that (came) into the community where everyone had this opportunity to have fun and just bond together, and I thought it was great to be part of that,” Richardson said.

Spending time on the youth council has helped several members feel more gratitude for city government and inspired some of them to pursue a future in local politics, they said. Other members believe that serving on the council gives their lives greater purpose.

“You can see what you’re doing is actually meaning something and it just gives value in your life” Nash Bingham, one student on the council, said.

“(It’s) the best feeling ever, going home and being able to feel accomplished and knowing you did something great,” Beatrice Etter, another council member, said.

Students and advisors on the council had advice for anyone who wants to get involved.

“Your voice is important,” Jasmine Taibo, a youth council member, said. “Although it’s small-scale in your community, I think that you can make a difference as a young person.”

Roger Child, a member of Farmington’s City Council, enjoys seeing these youth make a difference in Farmington.

“Being on the city council and watching what these youth do, it is amazing,” Child said. “The service that they do, it’s really appreciated by the city.”

Melissa Layton, another member of the Farmington City Council, agrees.

“It’s really providing a base for this generation as they move forward to make better decisions in the communities that they participate in,” Layton said. “They start to care more, they start to understand more, they start to learn about what their tax dollars are going to pay for, and I think it just creates a better future for all of us when we understand the ‘why’ behind the scenes.”

To learn more about the youth council or to get involved in upcoming service projects, visit https://farmington.utah.gov/youth-city-council/.