MELFORT — Nine RCMP detachments around the province, including Melfort, are launching pilot project youth advisory committees.
Laili Yazdani, the Saskatchewan RCMP’s community program officer, said the goal of the program is to increase and enhance RCMP engagement with youth so they feel their voices are valued and they are contributing to effective change.
“We’re hoping to engage with youth to hear from the youth themselves, what they feel is important to them,” Yazdani said.
“Most of these issues will probably be what’s important to them locally, and then seeing how we can link that together to engage youth throughout the province.”
This program is a follow-up to last year’s youth survey, where the Saskatchewan RCMP circulated a youth survey to detachments across the province.
They received 3,750 responses from youth ages 12 to 17, identifying issues affecting them. Seventy per cent of comments related to interests in having positive interactions with the RCMP.
In those responses, the top five issues the RCMP identified that are affecting youth were drugs, bullying, alcohol, vaping and poor driving.
Yazdani said they are trying to work with 100 youth through the new youth advisory program, with 10 youth from each of the nine detachments, plus 10 additional youth from other communities across the province.
“We’re hoping they bring their talents, and creativity to see what works best,” she said. “It may involve promoting awareness days and events, but really we’re wanting to hear from the youth what they would want to do and how they would like to work with us in addressing the issues that are important to them.”
Youth advisory committee members are expected to volunteer a minimum of six hours a month for one school year and participate in weekly meetings, monthly virtual meetings and an annual camp with youth and mentors.
Afterwards, they will receive a volunteer certificate that can be used for employment and post-secondary applications.
To request an application form, youth ages 12 to 17 are asked to email their request and submit their completed application to the F Division Community Services Mailbox at [email protected].
