Kamloops Junior Council hears from City of Kamloops staff, 2018 (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Sadie Hunter

In The Loop

HUNTER: The future of governance starts today

Mar 14, 2023 | 9:26 AM

AT A RECENT THOMPSON-NICOLA REGIONAL DISTRICT (TNRD) meeting, Director Bill Sarai raised the idea of forming a youth board of directors similar to the Junior Council established by the city of Kamloops.

I think this is a great idea and kudos to Sarai for starting the discussion. I am a bit biased as the former appointed council liaison to Junior Council. I asked for that appointment because I believe so strongly in the importance of youth voices in democracy and in engaging youth in politics and community.

This generation will be impacted most immediately by decisions being made now and the stewards of policies made by current generations. They will also be responsible for either carrying these policies forward or changing them, with the next generation in mind.

The ACE Electoral Knowledge Network (or ACE), an international organization affiliated with the United Nations, asserts, “when young people are disenfranchised or disengaged from political processes, a significant portion of the population has little or no voice or influence in decisions that affect group members’ lives. A key consequence is the undermining of political systems’ representativeness.”

Engaging future voters now helps ensure they will participate in democracy and community earlier and more often. Decisions and communities are better when they reflect all demographics – including youth.

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A July 2022 Statistics Canada report states “political participation and civic engagement are important factors in youth development — they can effectively learn their rights, obligations and responsibilities as citizens through a range of engagement activities, which can serve as a foundation for their transition to adulthood.”

Engagement doesn’t necessarily need to be political. Civic engagement provides immense value to both youth and the greater community. The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) defines civic engagement broadly as “being an active citizen in any way in service to the community” and political engagement more narrowly to refer to “direct participation in formal city governance and administration.”

ACE’s website lists a number of examples of civic engagement and provides resources for both municipal and civic engagement for youth. Importantly, UBCM notes the expected tide of retirement in public administration and how important it is to have young people see these roles as potential career options – something much more likely if they have been introduced at a younger age.

So, how can BC’s largest regional district support youth engagement in a way which is representative of the geographic diversity of the area? This is a great opportunity to leverage technology and the education system. Currently, Kamloops’ Junior Councillors either apply to their schools or their schools host an election to select a student representative. (I’d love to see this standardized as an in-school election at some point.) This same approach could be used as a template for the TNRD in partnership with school districts in the area. Meetings could be attended virtually, in person or in a hybrid format.

Ultimately though, true engagement starts by asking those we seek to include how they would like to participate and for their ideas on how to move ahead. With this in mind, I’d suggest the TNRD ask existing Junior Council members for their ideas — Clearwater also has a Junior Council — and then youth in each of the communities – including Indigenous communities – within the TNRD for their ideas. This approach might take more time, but the outcome will be true and meaningful engagement.

Thank you to Director Sarai for starting this important conversation about the future of civic engagement in the TNRD.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.