A group of 24 students ranging in age from 13 to 18, serving as the Powell River Youth Council, is striving to make a difference in the community.
Meeting regularly in City of Powell River Council chambers, the group, mentored by city councillors CaroleAnn Leishman and Rob Southcott, is bringing issues in the community important to youth to a forum that can make change. In addition to having the ear of city council, youth council has had an effect at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) annual convention.
The reasons for being involved vary. James Leishman said it’s fun and he enjoys participating in debates.
Kaylyn Gleave said she has always been looking for more ways to help in the community.
“Youth council is all about listening to what people need, trying to give youth a voice,” she added.
Gleave said youth are being heard in the community, such as when they participated in a climate strike last year.
“I really feel like we got our point across,” she added.
Ally Boyd said when she joined in grade eight, youth council kind of got the ball rolling but looking at it now, there is a lot more people listening in on what it is doing.
“It’s not just us writing letters and trying to put a face to youth council anymore,” said Boyd. “There’s a lot of action that comes with it in terms of making a difference. The appeal that brought me in is making a difference. It’s evolving more and more and getting on a grander scale.”
Boyd said it was amazing sitting at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention in Powell River earlier this year and being able to talk to councillors and mayors from all over.
“They listened to what we had to say, which was actually a really cool experience,” added Boyd.
She said even if the students don’t have plans on becoming an elected official, serving on youth council provides insight into how people in the political realm function and how they make their decisions.
Gleave said the students have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience in replicating what an elected official does. The students, who convene in city council chambers, take turns sitting at the council table and chairing the meetings. They also take turns writing the agenda and taking minutes.
“The chair and CaroleAnn will help draft the agenda and then we have someone recording minutes of every meeting,” said Gleave. “We try to run it similar to a council meeting so we have the insight of how those would work.”
Boyd said participants try to build on the language city councillors would use and run meetings formally.
This year’s topical items are environmental, as well as a push to offer free city transit to youth.
“I expect it to be action-packed; we’re going to get a lot done,” said Boyd. “Five years ago when I first joined we were just drafting up letters and writing council. Now we are writing resolutions and putting forward stuff for the AVICC and UBCM. The actual knowledge of the process has grown so much.”
Boyd and Gleave said they find serving with youth council an empowering process.
“There are so many things I’ve done that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t joined youth council,” said Gleave.
Boyd said the process is youth driven and youth council members are pursuing items they are passionate about. She added that there is diversity in the group, which includes students from Brooks Secondary School, Assumption School and Vancouver Island University.
“The number of different people who have joined is empowering because we’ve reached more of a diversity with the youth,” she added. “It’s not just the Brooks kids.”
CaroleAnn Leishman said the growth in the interest in youth council is in part due to word getting around about the great initiatives previous youth councils have brought forward and achieved.
“Also, I've noticed the increasingly high involvement of youth in the climate strikes led by Greta Thunberg worldwide, including Powell River youth, who are being awakened to not only the global issues, but they are realizing they have a voice and even one person can make a huge difference in the face of insurmountable odds,” she added.
Youth council is a collaborative effort between the sponsors and the council. Mentors attend all the meetings and teach members about local government, how to run meetings, how to advocate for things, fill them in on council business, and encourage them to bring forward issues they would like to discuss and possibly make recommendations to council about.
Youth council members talk to their peers and often bring forward agenda items. They take turns chairing meetings and CaroleAnn works with the chair of each meeting to prepare the agenda. The members add new business to the meeting agendas and a different member will take the minutes at each meeting.
Since there are more students than seats in the city’s council chamber, students each get a turn to sit at the table and the chairperson is rotated. Even though not all members are sitting at the table, all members present participate in voting and discussion of all items.
Issues being heard by youth council are varied. CaroleAnn said students have recently been concerned about the climate crisis and what different levels of government are doing to reduce carbon emissions and make it easier for all citizens to reduce their carbon footprint and live a more sustainable lifestyle. She added that they are also concerned about reducing the use of disposable products; they want more safe, dedicated bike paths; they would like transit to be more accessible and more effective; and they are always thinking of ways to improve the education system and create more opportunities for youth in Powell River.
The youth council’s sphere of influence appears to be broad. Motions have been brought before City of Powell River Council and initiatives suggested by the youth council have made it to the floor of the UBCM convention. CaroleAnn said this is pretty rare.
“Once the youth understand how powerful their voice is there is no stopping them,” she added. “Our youth council recently had two resolutions passed on the floor of the UBCM convention around education, which was a stunning achievement, and getting the attention of Melanie Mark, the minister of advanced education, trades and skills training, was really special to be acknowledged by her on their advocacy.”
She said she is deeply inspired by the youth council members as well as other youth in the community who are taking up the charge on issues important to them.
“Perspectives will shift in a much faster way when adults see that youth are telling them how things need to be,” said CaroleAnn. “There is nothing more powerful than youth who have found their voice and are willing to stand up for what they believe in. I hope more youth will reach out to youth council members to share their ideas and see how they can advocate on more issues for their peers. I am privileged to get to work with these amazing individuals.”
Youth interested in sharing their ideas and concerns with youth council members can look them up on social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat and send them messages at @pryouthcouncil or email [email protected].
