The event will be streamed live on the County’s video portal

SUTTER COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The County of Sutter's high school speech contest, which won national recognition for engaging youth in the local government process, returns May 6.

The “Public Business From The Floor” high school speech contest was designated the best entry in the category of Civic Engagement and Public Outreach in the National Association of Counties 2020 Innovation Awards competition.

The speech contest, open to all high school age students who either attend a public or private Sutter County school or live in Sutter County, was designed to foster an understanding of the right of Americans to petition their government and to provide the opportunity to directly address the County Board of Supervisors on matters under their jurisdiction. 

The speech contest is sponsored by the 20-30 Club of Yuba City-Marysville. In addition to providing cash prizes, members of the club in previous competitions have joined the Board of Supervisors as judges.

“The speech contest is an outgrowth of our Board’s desire to engage the youth of this community and build an understanding and appreciation for how local government functions,” said Board Chairman Dan Flores. “The success of the program, which was recognized by NACO, is the result of the effort of the students, their teachers, their parents, and the participation of the 20-30 Club. This is a community that values its youth, and that was reflected in the award from NACO.”

Unfortunately, as a result of COVID-19 concerns, there was no competition in 2020. But the competition returns on May 6 at 6 p.m. at a location still to be determined. Tentatively, the competition will be held at the chambers at Yuba City Hall, where the Board of Supervisors is conducting its regular meetings, but the County may establish an outdoor location to promote in person participation. Students will have the option of participating in person or by Zoom.

Under the rules of the competition, students have up to three minutes to address the Board of Supervisors on any topic that falls under its jurisdiction. Participants must ask the Board of Supervisors to take a specific action on a topic, such as adding, changing, or removing a local ordinance, authorizing funding for something, or advocating for action by the state or federal government.

The speech contest takes place at a real meeting of the Board of Supervisors, attended by members of the public and subject to coverage by the media. The event will be streamed live on the County’s video portal.

Students interested in participating can receive additional information about the contest and officially sign up by sending an email to [email protected]