A two-day youth summit next week aims to get Yorkton's young people more involved in the processes of civic planning and decision making.
"A lot of times, we as adults have sat around a table and said, 'This is what we need to do for youth' without including youth in that conversation," says Andrew Sedley, the Sunrise Health Region's population health promotion coordinator. "What we want to do is bring youth to that table as active participants."
"Youth Speak 2011: Connecting Youth and Adults Together in Yorkton" anticipates a turnout of 250 teens from Grades 8 to 12 on April 13 and 14 at the Gallagher Centre. During the two days of the summit, attendees will hear international keynote speakers, vote on what they consider the major issues facing the city, and break into groups to discuss solutions to these issues.
Youth Speak 2011 is the first event of the city's recently-formed youth council, YUMMY (Yorkton Understanding Minds of Many Youths). The summit is organized in partnership with the Sunrise Health Region, the City of Yorkton, KidsFirst, the Yorkton Alliance of Asset Champions, and the Southeast Regional Intersectoral Committee.
It's an early example of the kind of cooperation between youth groups and community groups that organizers hope will become more common in Yorkton's future. Sedley imagines YUMMY being consulted on issues relevant to young people by City Council, the Sunrise Health Region, and other policy-makers in the region.
"We're really hoping that it's the start of youth having an active voice here in the community. We want youth to know that their opinion does really matter."
The members of YUMMY intend to use the input gained from their peers at next week's summit to help shape these future relationships.
Adults will also be involved in Youth Speak 2011. Day two of the summit is community planning day, when groups of teens will sit down with community leaders to develop action plans.
Young people and adults interested in participating are asked to contact Andrew Sedley at 786-0581 or [email protected].
