City council updated on Youth Advisory Council

YAC ensures voices of youth heard on local issues

With a new year, the City’s Youth Advisory Council has a new direction and new plans for the future.

Derek St. Jean, chair for the Youth Advisory Council, appeared before city council during their regular meeting on Monday to update council on progress made by the YAC, the creation of a new mission statement, four-year strategic plan and revised terms of reference.

The YAC is a committee which works to ensure the voices of young Lethbridge residents are heard on local issues.

“Anytime city council has any issues with youth, or something they are moving forward with like the skate park, or even urban drilling — which was an issue a couple years back, (YAC) gets engaged with the process and offers a voice from what the youth in Lethbridge are thinking.”

The YAC is a council of 11, with nine members being representatives from the community who are under the age of 25. The other two members are representatives of the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College.

The YAC was created in 2007 following the Lethbridge Youth Summit. It was felt there was a need for an ongoing youth voice in the city.

Currently, it operates under the offices of the city clerk and city manager.

According to their mission statement, the YAC exists “to foster a relationship between Lethbridge City Council and the youth of the City of Lethbridge.”

The group meets once a month to discuss issues and share ideas. It has also been involved with mentorship opportunities where members of the YAC have met with city council members in order to share ideas.

St. Jean said the perspective provided by the YAC is an important one which might be missing from some circles where decisions are being made.

“In a lot of professional fields, you don’t see people entering those fields until they are at minimum 25,” he said.

He also noted the importance of an advisory board for young people to be heard before they are legally allowed to vote.

Anyone interested in getting involved with the YAC is invited to contact the group through Facebook, Twitter (@Lethbridge_YAC), and Instagram.