Youth Council Launches Year with Community “Youth Perspective” Needs Assessment
September 30, 2025
“This needs assessment is our roadmap for the year,” said Cammie Mengwasser, Foundation Executive Director. “It helps the students decide which local leaders to learn from and which nonprofits to explore and collaborate with. Every conversation and site visit is focused on what matters most to Watertown’s young people.”
Growing Stronger: The Youth Council maps community strengths and opportunities, ensuring the voices of local high school students shape this year’s needs assessment.
The assessment guides the Youth Council’s learning throughout the year, preparing members to award at least $10,000 in grants each spring to youth-serving nonprofits. Since its inception in 2001, the Council has granted more than $218,000 to programs that benefit local youth.
Current members include juniors Abby Kruger, Kate McElroy, and Owen Muller, and returning seniors Siri Bach, Leila Byer, and Whitney Martinsen. Alongside service projects and grantmaking, they’ll spend the year meeting with community leaders and nonprofits identified through the assessment.
