With a population base that includes 20 per cent of youth 19 and under, the City of Vernon is looking to have those voices heard.
The city gave unanimous approval to a draft Youthful Vernon Strategy, compiled by a city steering committee that launched the project in November of 2017 on International Child Day.
“When you give our youth an opportunity to be heard, they have some great ideas,” said Vernon Coun. Juliette Cunningham, who sat on the nine-person steering committee. “We want to attract families to our community so we have to do this work in order to make ourselves attractive to the people that want to come here.”
The draft strategy contains 44 recommendations under seven different domains, or categories: Playing in the ‘Built’ area (referring to human-made places such as parks, buildings and streets); transportation; local government; arts and culture; healthy community development; child care; and the youthful Vernon charter, a commitment to the rights of children and youth.
Project coordinator Lynne Reside said the strategy is part of a worldwide movement to make communities more youth and child-friendly.
“These are our future citizens and we want them to do well,” said Reside. “We want them to stay in our communities and feel that their needs have been met.”
One person, in particular, turned heads among the steering committee: Grade 11 Vernon Community School student Carson Armitage, who was grateful to have the opportunity to take part.
“It’s been incredible,” he said. “Our school was involved with our World Café, where students and the community got together to discuss issues, and our class felt we were well heard. We offer our thanks for supporting our project.”
City long-range planner and committee member Cleo Corbett said the draft will now undergo a month-long review and referral process.
“We’ll refer the strategy to the different affected departments throughout the city for their review and comment, and work with them to make those recommendations more tangible, understand the financial and resource impacts from those recommended actions and refer those drafts to some community stakeholders to identify who might be the lead on some of these actions,” said Corbett.
“We’ll then take that feedback, refine the strategy, present the draft on engagevernon.ca for review and feedback, and then we’ll bring that back to council for consideration and possible endorsement.”
The entire draft strategy can be found on the city’s website (and go to page nine of the agenda).
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