Youth Opportunities Advisory Board

Legal basis

• City program: Youth Opportunities Program (Housing & Human Services / Youth & Family Services), since 1994 · creates source source source

Appointed by

City Manager. The City Manager appoints the members (through the Youth Opportunities Program staff). source

How

Applications are open year round to current and rising high school students who live in the City of Boulder (including most of Gunbarrel), in English or Spanish; new members are invited based on their potential contribution and the board's need to represent the diversity of Boulder's youth. Program staff (the Youth Opportunities Program Manager) handle applications. · year-round applications, school-year board (2025-26) source source as of 2026-10-23

Seats

16 source source as of 2026-10-23

Seat types

• high school student living in the City of Boulder ×16 youth

source source

another source differs

youth who live and/or attend high school within the city source

The same page also says members live in the city and applications are open to students living in the city; the 'attend' wording looks like a looser recruitment line. A person should confirm whether non-residents attending a Boulder high school can serve.

Term

1 year (renewable) source

Term limit

unknown · 6 sources tried

• 2026-10-29 · https://bouldercolorado.gov/youth-opportunities-advisory-board · a limit on renewals of the one-year term: only 'one-year renewable terms'; nothing on a limit on renewals of the one-year term
• 2026-10-29 · https://bouldercolorado.gov/services/youth-opportunities-program · a limit on renewals of the one-year term: no term rules
• 2026-10-29 · https://bouldercolorado.gov/news/celebrating-30-years-supporting-youth-boulder · a limit on renewals of the one-year term: no term rules
• 2026-10-29 · https://documents.bouldercolorado.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=195669&dbid=0&repo=LF8PROD2 · a limit on renewals of the one-year term: no term rules in this 2025-26 file
• 2026-10-29 · https://documents.bouldercolorado.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=192427&dbid=0&repo=LF8PROD2 · a limit on renewals of the one-year term: school-year folders of minutes 2017-18 to 2025-26; no bylaws or rules file listed
• 2026-10-29 · https://library.municode.com/co/boulder/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT2GOOR_CH3BOCO · a limit on renewals of the one-year term: BRC chapter 2-3 has no section for this board

Staggering

unknown · 6 sources tried

• 2026-10-29 · https://bouldercolorado.gov/youth-opportunities-advisory-board · whether terms are staggered: only 'one-year renewable terms'; nothing on whether terms are staggered
• 2026-10-29 · https://bouldercolorado.gov/services/youth-opportunities-program · whether terms are staggered: no term rules
• 2026-10-29 · https://bouldercolorado.gov/news/celebrating-30-years-supporting-youth-boulder · whether terms are staggered: no term rules
• 2026-10-29 · https://documents.bouldercolorado.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=195669&dbid=0&repo=LF8PROD2 · whether terms are staggered: no term rules in this 2025-26 file
• 2026-10-29 · https://documents.bouldercolorado.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=192427&dbid=0&repo=LF8PROD2 · whether terms are staggered: school-year folders of minutes 2017-18 to 2025-26; no bylaws or rules file listed
• 2026-10-29 · https://library.municode.com/co/boulder/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT2GOOR_CH3BOCO · whether terms are staggered: BRC chapter 2-3 has no section for this board

Powers

advisory. Decides: Nothing binding; it runs youth projects (MLK Day of Service, outstanding youth volunteer awards, anti-bullying work) and leads youth work in the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative. The program historically ran an annual youth grant program.. To council: Gives youth perspectives to city officials on city programs, planning and decision making; no formal recommendations to council are set by any rule. source source source

Council liaison

not applicable: YOAB members are appointed by the City Manager, not by council, and City Council does not assign council liaisons to boards (its 2026 assignment list has none for YOAB). source

Staff liaison

Housing and Human Services (Youth & Family Services, Youth Opportunities Program) · Mario Martinez-Varelas source source as of 2026-10-23

Relations

• City Manager appoints Youth Opportunities Advisory Board source
• Youth Opportunities Advisory Board recommends to City Manager · Advises 'city officials' and city government generally. source
• Housing & Human Services staffs Youth Opportunities Advisory Board · staff support (Youth & Family Services, Youth Opportunities Program) source source source

History

• 1994 · created · YOAB has run as part of the Youth Opportunities Program since 1994; over 450 students have served. source