Calgarians under age 25 to discuss issues of concern at weekend summit
A virtual, youth-organized summit this weekend will discuss why young people are leaving Calgary.
The two-day event, hosted by Calgary's Future alongside other youth advocacy groups, will bring together Calgarians under the age of 25 to discuss issues facing the city. Then, they'll have a chance to present their ideas to more than a dozen candidates running in the upcoming municipal election.
“Youth feel like they're not being heard. They feel like their needs aren't being met,” said 24-year-old organizer Deborah Wong, who said she has personally seen friends leave the city.
“We need to bring youth together to talk about issues that are most important to them and really listen to them on what they think the solutions are . ... It really is about getting youth voices at the decision-making table.”
Issues up for discussion at the summit include transportation, education, climate action, mental health and a sustainable economy.
Sakariye Mohamed, who is facilitating discussions surrounding issues of diversity and inclusion at the summit, said some of his peers are leaving because of opportunities elsewhere.
“It seems like people don't see much opportunity arising in Calgary, and that Calgary isn't moving in the direction of innovation,” Mohamed said.
“A lot of youth think Calgary isn't engaging them, and it doesn't value their voices, or that they don't see themselves represented in municipal government.”
Mohamed said the upcoming October election is an opportunity for youth to work to see their views reflected on city council, with incumbents in seven wards announcing they will not run for re-election; three are vying to be mayor.
Calgary's 2019 civic census found that while the city's population increased by 21 per cent over the preceding 10 years, its age 15 to 24 population decreased by two per cent over the same time period.
Wong moved to Calgary 10 years ago from Hong Kong. She said youth shouldn't take for granted their ability to use their voices to effect change in government.
“The ability to really participate in a democratic process like this is really rare where I grew up. I never grew up knowing that you can talk to government officials about issues that you care about,” she said.
“We're so lucky to have a democracy where we can talk directly to our government officials, and they take our opinion seriously.”
The summit began Friday and will run through Saturday, when youth will make their pitches to election candidates.