Northumberland Youth Advisory Council and the Queen's Executive Decision Centre

Cobourg Daily Star (ON)
Wed 30 Apr 2008
Page: 17
Section: News
Byline: Jamie Simmons

The Northumberland Youth Advisory Council was established in October 2005, in part, as a response to a number of reports produced over the past few years regarding issues affecting youth and the growing trend to the out- migration of young people, particularly in smaller, rural communities.

These reports included the Joint Youth Task Force prepared for former MP Liberal MP, Paul Macklin, and former Conservative MPP, Doug Galt, The Redden Report on Youth Attraction and Retention, and the Northumberland Schools Report prepared for current Liberal MPP Lou Rinaldi by Chris Berrigan.

Each of these reports relied heavily on community consultations with youth across Northumberland, local non-pro1/2t organizations that provide services to youth, and area businesses. With initial financial support from the County of Northumberland and the various municipal governments, an initial steering committee was established, and the subsequently, the Northumberland Youth Advisory Council was of1/2cially launched in October 2005.

Looking at other models it became apparent that all too often "youth programming" has been developed by adults for youth with little input from them. At the same time it is becoming critical across Canada to 1/2nd ways to get youth involved and engaged in their communities.

The Northumberland Youth Advisory Council, which is currently stewarded by the Northumberland CFDC, and receives 1/2nancial support from the County of Northumberland is an emerging model to address the issues of "youth attraction and retention" as an economic development strategy."

Another thing that kept coming up is that there were many agencies and organizations that dealt with youth and youth issues on various levels and in many disciplines, but there was really not one organization that could represent local youth and their interests at the community, local, provincial and federal government levels. There was also a clearly identi1/2ed need to begin coordinating various youth programs and services across the county.

The Council is designed to serve all youth in the various geographic areas that make up Northumberland County. Primarily the targeted age range is approximately 14-24 years of age. Terms of Reference were developed by the Youth and the mandate of the organization was established as follows:

• To empower and connect young people through the creation of a Youth Council as an advisory voice to municipal government
• To engage and retain youth as part of a sustainable youth strategy for Northumberland.
• To create an information forum that actively communicates and promotes opportunities for youth in business, politics and culture

In addition, the Northumberland Youth Advisory Council as part of its mandate to establish and strengthen partnerships is engaged in the continuing process of developing projects to provide a connection and links across the county with a broad range of young people as well as many other non-pro1/2t organizations that provide the wide-range of services and supports to area youth.

There has been an ongoing commitment by the county to provide core funding to coordinate the project and build towards long term sustainability during 2006-07.

Already, there is a very committed and dedicated Board of Directors in place and a mid and long term strategic plan has been established, with the assistance of Eric Lockhart of the Queen's University Executive Decision Centre.

The organization through membership on its board of up to 23 young people from local high schools, the municipalities, and a number of youth oriented agencies such as the Northumberland Family YMCA, the United Way and Port Hope Recreation Centre has an excellent base from which to build and realize the goal of establishing itself as a self-standing, sustainable non-pro1/2t organization over the next few years.

This commitment to strengthening and establishing partnerships across the county and expanding on an already successful comprehensive communi-cations and marketing strategy are just some of the ways the NYAC is positioned for long- term sustainability. One of the main goals is to continue to develop s its very successful youth enterprise fund, youth in action program, and youth opportunities expo.

Programs and Initiatives

Youth Opportunities Expo: One of our most successful events so far, the Youth Opportunities Expo promotes job and volunteer opportunities for youth in Northumberland.

In May of last year, we had our second Expo with special guest the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Chris Bentley.

Prior to the event, the NYAC held a roundtable discussion with its sponsors and stakeholders, such as the NCFDC, Northumberland County, local school boards, the Clay Elliot Foundation and many others. Since 2006 at least 1500 students in our area have benefited from This year's Youth Opportunities Expo will take place at the Baltimore Recreation Centre on May 6, 2008.

Youth In Action: Replicated from the very successful United Way Day of Caring, he NYAC has made this a an ongoing program by spending time doing tangible volunteering in the community. Over the past several years NYAC worked at many different organizations painting, landscaping and cleaning in Brighton, Campbellford and Port Hope and Cobourg. As recent as October, the NYAC cleaned and re-painted much of the walls at Transition House in Cobourg.

Youth Merit Scholarship: This is an annual $1,000 scholarship administered by the NYAC on a yearly basis, for youth, decided by youth. Applications are accepted throughout the year and at least five students are interviewed to receive the scholarship. The decision making process is decided by youth, a committee of 5 NYAC Board Members who sort through the applications, interview potential recipients and make a final decision. In 2006 Gillian Hickey from Hastings received the scholarship, and in 2007 the recipient went to a youth in Campbellford. This year's scholarship deadline is May 16, 2008.

Youth Roundtable Discussions: The NYAC had a very successful roundtable discussion with the Premier of Ontario In Northumberland, met with the Minister of Youth and Children Services Mary Anne Chambers in her Toronto offices, and also met in our area with the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Chris Bentley.

Anti-Smoking Project: The NYAC is currently partnered with the Youth Action Alliance, under the auspices of the HKPR District Health Unit, to promote healthy living and anti-smoking campaigns.

Youth 2 Youth: The goal of these "Youth2Youth" forums are to gather important information, facilitate community collaboration between various youth organizations and sectors throughout Northumberland County as well as identify issues and possible solutions to the challenges that face youth in Northumberland today. Furthermore, we will engage young people and work to find grass roots solutions to the community based challenges they face. Currently, the survey that will be available for youth to fill out online as well as in paper form is being development, ready for launch by February 2008. After the survey phase is complete, forums will be held throughout the county to speak directly to youth before a final report is compiled and meetings with stakeholders will commence.

Advisory Voice: NYAC Members currently sit on established county committees, such as the Environmental Waste Committee and the Forestry Advisory Committee, which is working to develop a 20 year master plan for Northumberland County Forests. The NYAC, along with is various programs, act also in an advisory capacity to government and organizations to clearly articulate the voice of youth in Northumberland County. Currently, the NYAC is ensuring that all its programs and initiatives are organized and flow as one. For instance, the survey developed by the NYAC has a section to gather information about youths perceptions of the county forest, which will then be brought to the advisory committee for discussion.

In The Community: The NYAC wants to continue to working with different youth and youth groups throughout the county to help them achieve their goals. For instance, the NYAC in 2006 assisted CDCI West with funding to continue to put on their Christmas Dinner for the needy, and also acted as a public relations manger. We did again this year. Offering assistance to purchase, make the food and clean up, the NYAC also were present to hand out T-Shirts to the kids. A small holiday gift can go a long way. The tasks of working with media and government is not something many youth have experience in and resources to do. This is where we come in. Relying on the assistance and expertise of our Project Coordinator we have developed very strong and positive relationships with all the local media and have managed to receive ongoing and extensive positive press coverage for NYAC and other youth and youth initiatives across the County. Several members of the Board of Directors have been nominated or received awards over the past few years for community service and act as role models and mentors for many other youth locally, such as through the Rebound Youth Services Program.

Youth Opportunities Enterprise Fund: This fund has been created to support youth and various initiatives that youth undertake in Northumberland County. The focus of this new NYAC program is to partner financially, and in some cases with in-kind support, on projects that strive to foster a culture of caring and giving, benefiting youth in our community and beyond. This new Youth Enterprise Fund presents opportunities to collaborate with other services organizations within Northumberland County, creating and strengthening partnerships, and expanding the role of the NYAC in helping youth and youth initiatives build community capacity. Over the past year, the NYAC has been able to fund various projects through both the Cobourg and Port Hope Public Libraries, sponsor Rotary's Camp Enterprise both financially and through in-kind contributions as well as play a leading role in The Ontario Rural Council through conference sponsorships and leading discussions on best-practices in youth organizations, showcasing Northumberland County. Keystone House: The NYAC has taken on the task of helping to fundraise for this project. Keystone Houses fundraising campaign hopes to raise money to allow youth with disabilities a home to live in, alleviating the pressures and stress that elderly parents endure to raise their child. Keystone Fundraising Chair, Bill Patchett, requested NYACs involvement and support. The NYAC will be liaising with the schools to developing fundraising campaigns.

Kiva: Kiva enables young people to connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, one can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), one can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, the funder gets their loan money back. Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, Kiva gains access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Its partners are experts in choosing qualified borrowers. That said, they are usually short on funds. This year NYAC is sponsoring two classes of students to participate in the Kiva Project.

Best Practices Series: Northumberland County was the topic of the day for TORC's Conference held in Collingwood in 2006 with the then NYAC Chair, Chris Berrigan being a keynote speaker. Again, Belleville on March 6th, 2007. The NYAC's Chair and Vice-Chair, Chris Berrigan and Peter Cleary, were present at the conference along with its coordinator Jamie Simmons. The NYAC acted as the facilitator for the first morning session discussing new technologies in engaging youth. Other session included co-op and apprenticeship programming for youth as well as youth engagement and recreation. During the session, the NYAC, as part of its Best Practices Series, spoke as a main headliner at the event - explaining the structure and community support needed to have a youth council like the Northumberland Youth Advisory Council. Speaking alongside the NYAC was one of the original founders of the NYAC, Andrew Redden as well as a long time supporter of youth engagement and Brenda Whitehead, current Director of Youth and Recreation Services for the Town of Port Hope, who spoke about Youth Friendly Communities in Ontario. This collaboration of various speakers from right here in Northumberland allowed for a comprehensive overview on Northumberland County's strategy for engaging and retaining youth. Some of the Best Practices and Lessons Learned that we shared included:

The history and establishment of the Northumberland Youth Advisory Council as a practical way to create a youth council that will have tangible outcomes and sustainability. By ensuring the support of your local governments and community members, a youth council can ensure its lasting support to continue working within its community. The most efficient way to go forth with ones project is to ensure that you are not re-inventing the wheel. Use already established organizations to partner on your initiatives. If there is already a youth council in your community, build on their strengths and try and to improve the structure and increase involvement.

Since these conferences, the NYAC has been in contact with countless agencies and community organizations throughout Ontario and as far away as British Columbia, offering practical advice and tools to engage youth.

The Future: As the NYAC continues to expand, its attention will always be focused on how best to serve the youth of Northumberland. New programs and initiatives will be sought, with potential for developing innovative programming and taking a greater role in program implementation, such as providing increase involvement and management of the very successful United Way Backpack Program. The NYAC has so far held two very successful strategic sessions, professionally facilitated, to ensure proper planning and engagement of its members.

Program Co-Ordinator
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