(a) The Youth Council shall be composed of 32 youth from various geographic sectors of the District, and shall include members who represent youth with special needs, as follows:
(1) Three members shall be from each of the 8 wards in the District;
(2) Four members shall be presently under an order of commitment to the District’s juvenile justice system, at least one of whom presently resides in a group home; and
(3) Four members shall be presently in the District’s foster care system; at least one of whom shall reside in a group home.
(b) Membership of the Youth Council shall reflect a broad range of diversity encompassing relevant differences in ethnicity, location of residency within the District, religion, and gender.
(c) Members of the Youth Council shall have been a District resident for at least one year, not including time residing in a college dormitory, prior to their application to serve on the Youth Council. College students shall be eligible to participate on the Youth Council, if they have been a District resident, living outside a college dormitory, for at least one year prior to their application to serve on the Youth Council.
(d) Youth applying to participate on the Youth Council shall have:
(1) A sincere interest in, and motivation to work for the community;
(2) A background of community-based activity;
(3) A general knowledge of activities and needs in the sector of the community which they are selected to represent;
(4) An ability to bring creative perspectives about youth issues and concerns to the Youth Council;
(5) The ability to work patiently and constructively in a group setting;
(6) The ability to responsibly fulfill commitments; and
(7) An interest in the development of leadership skills.
(June 25, 2002, D.C. Law 14-145, § 4, 49 DCR 4063.)