SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Hampden District Attorney's Youth Advisory Board in western Massachusetts has started its 2026-2027 school year with 69 high school students from 23 schools across Hampden County, the district attorney's office in Springfield said Friday.

The board held its first full meeting on Oct. 21, the office said. Of the members, 42 are new and 27 are returning, and all are in grades 10 through 12.

Over the school year, members will identify issues facing young people and recommend ways to address them, according to the office. The work ends with an annual conference hosted by Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni, where students present their projects and recommendations to representatives of schools, police and community groups.

At the Oct. 21 meeting, Assistant District Attorney Eileen Sears, chief of the office's Special Victims Unit, described the unit's work, including how children can be victimized online through social media apps and gaming platforms and how grooming happens, the office said. Her talk was meant to prepare members for their role presenting the office's internet safety programs to elementary school students.

New members will be trained to give those presentations, which include NetSmartz and Social Media & Gaming Safety, the office said. Both are interactive programs aimed at elementary students in specific grades, and board members deliver them in groups of three to five.

"I'm always excited to see the topics our students choose and their final projects that are presented at the end-of-year conference," Gulluni said.

The program is run year-round by the office's Community Safety & Outreach Unit, he said.

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