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A "Virtual Visit" to Youth Councils Across BC
This booklet includes stories about Friendship Centre Youth Councils across British Columbia. As you will see, there are many different ways to structure a youth council. Each friendship centre has some very creative ideas.
This brochure is designed to highlight the best practices of Friendship Centre youth councils by focusing on what is working well for them. It is meant to be used as a resource for youth councils that are interested in changing their structure, or are just starting out. It may also be of interest to youth who are curious about how other youth councils run.
: Youth Councils Across the Province
An Elected Governing Body
If you are at meeting of the Hiiye'yu Lelum Society youth council in Duncan, you will see a very orderly process. Sabrina, the youth worker, or one of the youth, will be going through the agenda. Youth will vote on various items that come up on the agenda. For example, they may be deciding what kind of fundraiser to hold, or how the next pool tournament will be organized. The secretary will be taking minutes, and members will be listening respectfully to each other. A youth worker may come in to ask for their help in enforcing a new rule or planning an event. There are 11 elected positions on the youth council: president, vice president, second vice president, treasurer, secretary, second secretary, three councilors, junior secretary and junior councilor. If there is a vacancy other youth can apply and the council will interview them and then vote on it. With all the activities going on at Hiiye'yu Lelum Youth Centre, the youth council is very busy!
Talking Circle
If you are at a youth council meeting in Port Alberni Friendship Centre, you might see youth passing around a stone or feather and taking turns talking. Their youth council uses a "talking circle" method to make sure everyone's voice is heard. In this traditional format, only the member holding the stone or feather may talk. Some of the members on the youth council are official members and have undergone a criminal record check and filled out Friendship Centre volunteer forms. Other youth may just be joining in for the day as observers. Anyone can attend youth council meetings, either as an official member or an observer, but only the official members go on youth council trips.
Committees
If you are at a youth council meeting at Lillooet Friendship Centre, you will find a committee made up of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, two youth advocates (who are also youth representatives on the city council), a fundraising committee representative and a community liaison committee representative. The youth council is one of the three committees at Lillooet Friendship Centre, along with the fundraising committee (which organizes fundraisers) and the community liaison committee (which organizes volunteering in the community, for example working with seniors or learning business skills). Each committee has an adult mentor. The youth council works closely with the other two committees to make decisions about rules and activities at the youth centre. During a meeting, the youth council will be moving through an agenda they prepared by themselves. The week before the meeting the secretary contacts everyone to remind them about the meeting and see what items they want to put on the agenda. The agenda is then passed out to all members at the beginning of the meeting.
Project Management
If you are at a youth council meeting at Terrace Kermode Friendship Centre, you will see about 20-25 youth engaged in discussion about the projects the youth centre is implementing, and eating a dinner which they prepared. These youth are not elected. To join the youth council they must regularly participate in all youth council meetings and activities for a month. Then they receive their youth council membership I.D. card. At Terrace Kermode Friendship Centre there are lots of projects going on, such as workshops, weekly dances, feasts, homework clubs and all night lock-in parties. The youth council plays a part in planning all these events. You might also see the youth council involved in leadership training, or leading a workshop for the rest of the youth council. For example, some of them have been trained as peer HIV/AIDS educators or peer counselors.
Youth Council as Youth Workers
If you are at a youth council meeting at Wachiay Friendship Centre in Courtney, you will see the four elected youth council members running their own meeting. They will be organizing the meeting according to an agenda which they were required to write up before the meeting. This agenda might include reviewing the budget for the youth centre, deciding what to do when someone breaks the rules at the youth centre, or making choices about running the centre. You may or may not see a youth worker present. The youth coordinator is not allowed to come into the room during their meetings, but sometimes a youth worker will join the council to observe or present an issue. The youth council members do not have specific positions, but they have lots of shared responsibilities! They are paid $25 per meeting, and with that pay comes certain duties they must perform. For example, after the meeting, they are required to write a report and submit that report to the youth workers. When low participation becomes a problem, youth council members may be asked to step down. At Wachiay Friendship centre, being on the youth council is seen as a special privilege.
Rotating Leadership
If you are at a Prince Rupert Friendship Centre youth council meeting, you will see different youth trying out the position of president or vice-president. Although anyone can join the youth council, a new president and vice-president are voted in about every six weeks. They try to rotate the leadership position so different people have a chance to try it out and so no one gets tired of it. Some of the youth who attend come pretty regularly, while others just drop in.
A Casual Chat
If you are at a youth council meeting at Houston Friendship Centre, you won't find elected members with specific positions. They don't have elections and anyone can join in for any meeting. But a dedicated group of 7 or 8 youth have been coming regularly for three years now, and they know each other really well! During a meeting at the Houston Friendship Centre, you may hear a discussion of the budgets, programs, and issues around the centre. Or you may hear youth planning a fundraising event--like the Haunted House they had last year--or a hiking trip. Tillicum Haus Native Friendship Centre in Nanaimo has a similar structure. They decided not to have positions, or formal meetings, but they do take their work seriously. During the meeting they might discuss an upcoming basketball tournament or a fundraiser for their big dream of buying the building their youth program is held in.
Community Partnerships
At Victoria Native Friendship Centre, a youth council is just getting started that joins youth from the Friendship Centre with youth from a local secondary school's First Nations program. The school and the youth centre will run the youth council as partners. The youth council will facilitate a mentorship program where older youth or young adults mentor younger youth. The council will also act as a way for youth involved to express their views to the community, the school and the friendship centre.
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