The Laurinburg Youth Council is looking for new members as the organization works to expand its role in the community.

The Laurinburg City Council is expected to discuss the group at a workshop tonight beginning at 7 p.m.

Laurinburg Councilman Kenton Spencer, who helped spearhead the youth council said those from 8th grade to high school seniors can join.

The group has seen a recent drop in membership.

“They all graduated, and we were a little top heavy at the time, so we’re trying to broaden the net a little now and involve some younger people,” said Spencer.

Among the youth council’s current projects is a “Learning Library” at the Terry Sanford House in Laurinburg where Spencer said “the young people are working on creating a space for SAT prep and job search assistance.”

“It’s meant to be an alternative to the library, where we hope to have some workshops on resume development in a kind of youth employment center in the future,” Spencer said. Spencer also expects there to, in the future, be grant writing instruction offered at the library.

Another project which Spencer said is currently “only in an embryonic stage” is a service program to assist local elderly and disabled people with yard maintenance.

Spencer said that the project will include an application process whereby residents will be chosen based on their need to have their yards cleaned by youth council members.

“The city has tried to push for beautification, but some people, by no fault of their own, are unable to maintain their yards — those are the people we will try to come out and assist,” said Spencer.

It is hoped by Spencer that the program will be initiated by autumn of this year.

Laurinburg Mayor Tommy Parker attended the youth council’s meeting on July 3 and offered some words of motivation to the council’s members.

“I told them that, as we try to make the town a better place to live, it’s good for young people to step up and show leadership,” said Parker on Monday. “They control their own future through education, and hopefully they will get a good education and come back home and help make this a better place.”

Parker said that his attendance at the meeting was the result of a pledge he made at a city council meeting to Spencer.

“I told him I would assist him where I could, and I attended because I wanted to be part of the solution,” said Parker.

Those interested in joining the youth council are invited to visit the city’s Barrett Building on Church Street, to call the city at 276-8324 or to contact one of the group’s advisers.

The city council will hold a workshop meeting tonight at 7 p.m. In addition to the youth council update, there will also be discussion regarding the city’s new automated meter reading system, as well as the city’s economic development strategy.