Eighty-five Murray students, five committees, and 24 years of history. We were chartered in 2002 as the first youth chamber of commerce in the United States, and we still run the haunted trail that pays for all of it.
Most youth councils exist to be asked. Somebody brings a plan that's already finished, a room of students nods, and everyone calls it engagement. That was the first year here too.
The change came when we stopped waiting for the agenda and started bringing our own. We surveyed our schools, ran the numbers ourselves, and showed up to the city council with a brief instead of an opinion. Two of that year's three asks got funded.
That is how it works now. Every committee owns a docket, every project has a partner and a budget, and every result gets published, whether the number is a good one or not.
Spring sweep · Murray Park
Forty volunteers, three hours, one very tidy park.
Not a poster in the hallway. These are the rules we actually run meetings by.
The council runs on presence. Build week for the Haunted Woods does not happen without bodies in the park, and neither does anything the trail pays for.
No busywork, no résumé padding. Sorting the Spartan Closet, date-checking pantry intake, staffing a blood drive. None of it is glamorous, and all of it is why people trust us with the next thing.
We started as the first youth chamber of commerce in the country. Internships, apprenticeships and finance classes are not a side quest here. They are half of what we do.
Every general session we send a delegation to the Capitol, briefed on real bills. Being young is not a reason to be spoken for.
Outreach happens through counselors who know who needs what. Counts get reported. Names never leave the room.
Fifty-two years of Haunted Woods only happened because each crew trained the next one. Officers are here to leave the council stronger than they found it.
2002
Murray charters a youth chamber of commerce alongside its youth city government. It is the first of its kind in the United States, and dozens of cities copy the model afterwards.
2009
The council seats its first complete officer roster and holds a formal swearing-in at City Hall. Enthusiasm had been holding the council together. From here, structure does.
2016
The council takes on the operations side of Murray's decades-old haunt with the Exchange Club. Three nights of ticket sales start funding the entire year's service calendar.
2021
A student formal-wear project grows into a full store at Murray High, carrying clothing, hygiene supplies, backpacks and warm gear. The council commits to staffing it year-round.
2022
The council reports to the Murray City Council: 85 students, $20,000 raised in three nights, and $20,000 in member scholarships across two years.
2024
The name changes from Youth City Council / Chamber of Commerce to Murray Youth Community Council, a wider door for students who came for the service rather than the business.
Every member picks an area. Each one has its own budget line and a standing item on the council agenda.
Spartan Closet, pantry sort nights, blood drives, delivery routes.
Haunted Woods build week, ticketing, gate operations, sponsors.
Chamber internships, state apprenticeships, finance class, Youth CERT.
Legislative session delegation, bill briefings, city reporting.
Instagram, event recaps, design, and the monthly dispatch.
Three student presidents share the year, backed by two adult supervisors. Every one of them started as a member who showed up.
“I'm currently a Senior, and am the Student Body Officer president at the high school. I'm so excited to continue doing MYCC and participate in some awesome opportunities with you all! It's gonna be a party!”
President
Murray High School
Senior
“You may have seen me around before, I do MAG and Dance Company at the high school. I'm currently a Junior! MYCC is one of my favorite things and I can't wait to meet and get to know all of ya!”
President
Murray High School
Junior
“I am a Senior and was on the tennis team! I am the social media guy! You'll see me post things online, and I'll be the one that posts on Band a lot! I'm so excited for this upcoming year and meeting everyone!”
President
Murray High School
Senior
Adult Supervisor
Murray Youth Community Council
Adult Supervisor
Murray Youth Community Council
