The Maine Legislative Youth Council wants to hear from the state’s young people.

The council, which has the power to submit legislation, will hold a public hearing in Oxford on Jan. 28 for people to voice their concerns and share their ideas regarding youth issues. Although adults will be allowed to speak, the council is most interested in hearing from children, teenagers and college-age Mainers.

The Youth Council, which contains 18 high school and college students and four legislators, meets three to six times and year, holds public hearings and conducts seminars.

This year, the council will offer three public hearings around the state. The first will be held at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 28. The session will be broadcast via the state’s distance learning system, allowing people from across the state to participate.

The second hearing will be held in Caribou on March 25. The third will be held in South Portland in May.

Ideas and concerns gathered at the hearings may affect the council’s future legislation.

Created in 2002 to advise the Legislature, the council has been touted by state lawmakers as a first-in-the-nation way to investigate youth issues and produce solutions. In the past, the group has impacted laws regarding teenage drivers and foster children.

Although established by the state, the Youth Council is funded through a two-year, $30,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation. Council officials said they hope to get state funding under the next budget.