Two hundred and fifty young people in Grades 8-12 from Yorkton will gather to share their ideas and connect with community leaders on April 13 and 14, 2011.
"Youth Speak 2011: Connecting Youth and Adults Together in Yorkton" is a summit organized by the local youth council and several partner agencies. The goal of the April youth summit is to empower young people to share their voice in the community and be involved in civic planning and decision-making.
"The Sunrise Health Region, City of Yorkton, Kids First, the Yorkton Alliance of Asset Champions and the Southeast Regional Intersectoral Committee have partnered to build the structure to make this happen." says Andrew Sedley, population health promotion coordinator for Sunrise Health Region and chairperson for the Yorkton Alliance of Asset Champions.
"It is all about building on the strength of the community and recognizing young people as contributing to the overall health of the community."
"Youth play a very vibrant role in the quality of life we experience in our city and this is one more example of our youth getting involved in a positive way to identify the needs of our young citizens," adds Larry Pearen, Yorkton City Councilor.
"We know that the two day 'Youth Speak 2011' Summit will provide an opportunity to gather and discuss concerns and issues of the day. Yorkton City Council values this voice and looks forward to working with Y.U.M.M.Y (Yorkton Understanding Minds of Many Youth) in the implementation of their recommendations and I personally applaud the members of the organizing committee for volunteering their time and energy to make this a reality."
"Youth Speak 2011" has been developed and planned by young people in the community. This one of a kind gathering will bring the latest technology to vote on issues instantly at the summit, live music, games and two international keynote speakers. The two speakers bring a vast knowledge and experience of engaging youth on a community level to get involved in civic planning.
The youth summit will be the first event of the local youth council who have chosen the acronym YUMMY as their name.
"The www.SunriseHealthRegion.sk.ca
The intention of Youth Speak 2011 is to allow youth to voice their concerns and solutions to connect the youth and adults of Yorkton to create a proactive community. Together we can help make Yorkton a place where good things happen" says YUMMY member and Grade 12 Sacred Heart student Jacquelyn Rogne. The youth council will work closely with city council and other community organizations to advise and make recommendations on various issues that affect youth in Yorkton.
Mike Bock, an 18 year old from Hampton, Virginia will be one of the keynote speakers. Bock joined the Hampton Virginia Youth Commission in ninth grade and was hired by the Hampton Planning Department the following year. As a Youth Planner he worked on updating and implementing the youth component of the Hampton Community Plan, and provided staff support to both the Hampton Youth Commission and the Hampton Planning Commission, where he worked to engage youth in the city's decision-making process.
He has been involved in planning and presenting at several regional and national conferences focused on engaging young people in the community.
The second keynote speaker is Cindy Carlson, a trainer, consultant and writer with experience in the areas of Developmental Assets, authentic youth civic engagement and community planning for youth.
"We encourage adults in the community to be actively involved in the summit as well," says Sedley. "The second day of the summit is dedicated to community planning. It will be a facilitated day examining the issues that were brought up from the previous day and forming a plan of action to work with our youth on potential solutions."
Youth and adults who wish to participate in the summit can contact Andrew Sedley, Sunrise Health Region at 786-0581 or [email protected].
The "Youth Speak 2011" organizers believe that this project will have the added benefit of developing adult and youth partnerships throughout the city.
