City youth representing YOUth VOICE joined City officials for the signing of the first Youth Bill of Rights in the Commonwealth and the third in the United States on August 6, 2009. The historical signing, held on the deck of the USS Massachusetts, located at Battleship Cove, culminated six months of work on the part of youth. The Bill represents a desire by the youth in Fall River to have a greater hand in policy decisions made by the government and youth organizations. The signing represents the first step towards utilizing the Youth Bill of Rights to create and shape future youth policy. The bill’s structure includes a preamble and five key issue areas that articulate a greater voice and choice for youth in the City of Fall River. The five areas are education, environment, health, future, and support. Click here and here for photos of earlier events.  Click here for the Herald News article about the event. For more information about the project contact Healthy Youth Task Force co-chairs  Christian McCloskey at 508-324-2419, or Jamison Souza at 508-679-0922. (Photos by Nicholas Farias)