City hosting Youth Parliament

More than 100 teenagers from across the province coming to Peterborough Feb. 17-20

More than 100 teenagers from across the province will visit the city from Feb. 17 to 20 as Mark Street and Emmanuel United churches host the Ontario Youth Parliament (OYP) 2017 – an annual mock government event that has taken place since early last century.

It focuses on three areas: speaking your mind, forgiving your heart and making new friends, explained public relations minister Hannah Tarr, who is taking part in the weekend for a third year, her first with a cabinet portfolio.

Its philosophy is based on three main pillars: friendship, debate and spirituality.

The non-partisan event sees delegates write their own legislation and speak without fear of judgment, she said, pointing out how connections formed there can last a lifetime.

It’s about learning others’ opinion and so much more, Tarr said. “You gain so many different perspectives from other people.”

OYP is run mostly by youth, with the support of adult mentors, and is billed as “Parliament-style debate, not so Parliament-style fun.” It may be the only assembly that ends with delegates hand-inhand, singing Lean On Me, organizers boasted.

It also raises funds for charity each year. This year’s recipients will be the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.

The first model parliament was held in Saskatchewan as part of the direction of the Canadian Standard Efficiency Training program.

The roots of the OYP are in the organized recreation movement of early 20th century Canada, according to its website.

In 1914, Taylor Statten, secretary of the YMCA’s Boys Work Committee, established another committee to support and foster training camps and conferences through the Canadian Standard Efficiency Training program.

The outcome, in 1918, were the Trail Rangers and TUXIS programs, which are similar to the Scouting movement.

Statten believed that the boys themselves should be able to determine the activities of the programs, instead of adults imposing their own opinions and ideas, the site states.

In accordance with this philosophy, the TUXIS program inaugurated the annual Boys Parliament, which first occurred in Ontario in 1917. In the following decades, the movement grew to include eight organizations across the country.

The Ontario Older Boys Parliament thrived throughout the mid-20th century and was recognized both for its direction of youth activities within the church and the unique opportunity it provided to experience democracy first-hand.

In the late 1960s, the Boys Parliament was opened to girls, becoming Ontario Youth Parliament. It was an organization that grounded young leaders and challenged delegates to face new ideas and speak for their generation on political matters such as gay rights, anti-militarism, environmental and First Nations issues.

Due to a number of factors, attendance decreased sharply in the early 21st century. As a result, the parliamentary session of 2007 was cancelled and OYP was nearly disbanded. In the following years, however, there has been a resurgence of interest and participation, officials stated.

NOTES: Billets are also still sought for delegates taking part in OYP. For more information, contact billet coordinator, Tess

Morasse at billets@oyp.on.ca .... For more information on the event itselfs, visit https://www. oyp.on.ca.