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FROM: Child and Youth Advocate
Manager of Youth Services, Parks & Recreation
SUBJECT: Civic Youth Strategy Progress Report
THAT Council endorse the future directions for the next year of the Civic Youth Strategy (set out in Section III of this report) to:
-continue to encourage on-going participation of youth in the Civic Youth Strategy through partnerships with youth groups, civic departments and other community partners;
-promote awareness of the Civic Youth Strategy and its principles among the full diversity of youth in the city, civic departments and boards, youth service providers, media and the business community;
-work with community partners and other levels of government towards meeting the basic shelter, housing, support, health and safety needs of youth.
The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.
The Vancouver Children’s Policy was adopted by Council on March 12, 1992. It is a statement of commitment to the children of Vancouver and includes: Children’s Policy, Statement of Entitlements and Action Plan.
Vancouver Civic Youth Strategy (CYS) Policy
The Vancouver Civic Youth Strategy was adopted by Council on March 28, 1995. It is a statement of commitment to work in partnership with youth and the larger community on issues affecting youth. The implementation of the CYS is an ongoing venture in which policy, objectives and principles of the CYS are translated into action.
Vancouver Child and Youth Advocate - Practical Model of Advocacy
This policy was adopted by Council on April 27, 1995, following on Council’s approval of the Social Planning report on the position of the Child and Youth Advocate.
Civic Youth Strategy Progress Reports
The May 14, 1996 meeting of Council approved a recommendation directing the co-chairs of the Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee to provide annual progress reports to Council on the Civic Youth Strategy.
This report provides a summary of the achievements and work in progress which occurred during the second year of implementing the Civic Youth Strategy. It reports back on the workplan endorsed by Council on May 14, 1996; provides highlights from the departmental action plans which include 1996/97 accomplishments and 1997/98 implementation initiatives, outlines some challenging issues and discusses future directions for sustaining the Civic Youth Strategy.
Overall, the Civic Youth Strategy continues to gain momentum in linking young people with decision-makers and giving them voice in articulating their needs, opinions and ideas. Communication and cooperation between youth services providers, within and without government, has made significant progress over the last year, although the rapid pace of change within key institutions has presented real challenges, as well as opportunities. There is still much work to be done to make our City truly a place where all youth are valued and welcomed, but an enormous amount of positive work has been done to build partnerships between adults and youth, and between diverse groups of youth. Many civic departments have demonstrated a commitment to giving some priority to including the views of young people in their work and lending their support to youth-focused projects.
Some outstanding issues for future attention include the fiscal and political impediments to properly funding preventative services for children and youth; the lack of emergency and long-term housing options for youth; and the requirement for the continued learning for organizations about how best to include youth in planning and decision-making processes and the need to allocate staff time to properly support this work.
This is a progress report on the second year of implementing the Civic Youth Strategy.
The adoption of the Civic Youth Strategy by Council two years ago committed all departments in the civic government to work to achieve the following four core objectives (see Appendix 3):
- Ensure that youth have "a place" in the City.
- Ensure a strong youth voice in decision-making.
- Promote youth as a resource to the City.
- Strengthen the support base for youth in the City.
The Civic Youth Strategy’s Core Committee of youth participants, departmental representatives, representatives from the Parks, School, Health and Library boards, and other community service representatives, has continued to be co-chaired by the Child and Youth Advocate and the Manager of Youth Services, Parks and Recreation. The Strategy has been given additional impetus and direction by Vancouver Youth Voices, a coalition of youth organizations and individual young people, and the Vancouver Coalition of First Line Children and Youth Service Providers, formed in January, 1996. (Information sheets on these latter two organizations are included in Appendices 5 and 6.)
It is encouraging to note that the principles underlying the Civic Youth Strategy are reflected in a great many local initiatives involving and benefiting youth, often unrelated, or only indirectly related, to the City’s formal youth strategy. This attests to a growing shared commitment to these principles and the successful collaboration among many different youth advocates over the last several years.
The pace of changes to the political and fiscal climate created by senior levels of government has presented major challenges to the development of some of the partnerships envisioned by the Civic Youth Strategy. The formation of the new Ministry for Children and Families, the related changes within the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board, and the various cutbacks
and restructuring within the School District, have all had a significant impact on the progress of a coordinated approach to strengthening youth services. Analyzing and reacting to these rapidly occurring changes has been very time-consuming for the people responsible for developing the partnerships, including the Civic Youth Strategy co-chairs. Shifting mandates and personnel within these service delivery systems have made progress slow.
On the other hand, some opportunities have presented themselves for youth involvement and discussion of more integrated service delivery models (e.g. multi-disciplinary service teams within the Ministry for Children and Families, perhaps based in schools, and neighborhood-based service planning and evaluation models). While most not-for-profit youth serving agencies are kept busy keeping up with government-initiated changes, forums like the Vancouver Coalition of First Line Children and Youth Service Providers have worked to strengthen interagency cooperation and collective advocacy efforts.
This section of the report reviews the past year’s progress in implementing the Civic Youth Strategy. It highlights achievements and challenges, and proposes future directions for sustaining the Strategy. A summary of Departmental/ Boards’ actions and related plans is included in Appendix 1.
I. Implementation, Year 2 - Progress and Achievements
A.In relation to the objective to obtain endorsement of the Civic Youth Strategy and commitment to partnership in its implementation, this is where we stand as of the date of this report:
a)Previously endorsed by the Vancouver School Board, Vancouver Police Board, and the Board of Parks and Recreation.
b)Newly endorsed by the Vancouver Library Board.
c)Endorsement still pending with the Vancouver/ Richmond Health Board.
B.This section summarizes progress made over the past year in relation to the eight directions for the Civic Youth Strategy workplan endorsed by Council in May, 1996.
1.Promote the Civic Youth Strategy with youth, including outreach to youth of diverse backgrounds.
-The current Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee, has youth representationfrom diverse communities and backgrounds, including aboriginal, gay and lesbian, street-involved, South Asian, Chinese, high school and university students, and out-of-school.
-Outreach efforts began or continued with Urban Native Youth Association, Native Youth Movement, United Youth Movement, Vancouver Youth Voices, The Centre (with their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) youth group), Dusk to Dawn Youth Resource Centre, Environmental Youth Alliance, youth councils at Riley Park, Hastings, and Strathcona Community Centres, and other groups.
-A Youth Consultation Day was held on May 16, 1997 at City Hall, with a diverse group of youth participants. (See item 5 below)
2.Promote the Civic Youth Strategy within Vancouver’s business sector.
-Street Youth Job Action continued to develop its relationships with the business community to create casual employment opportunities for young people.
-As part of International Youth Week, the Strathcona Youth Council and the Gastown BIA teamed up for a clean-up event and other partnerships. Corporate sponsors were enlisted in support of the week’s activities.
-The Rotary Club has become a valued supporter of the Dusk to Dawn Youth Resource Centre and other youth-focused initiatives.
3.Assist in the implementation of the Vancouver School Board student forums.
-In partnership with Parks Board and neighborhood youth workers and a committee of students, the Vancouver School Board organized a secondary student forum on January 21, 1997. The forum was attended by over 100 young people. Follow-up on action plans is a task for the coming year.
4.Assist in the development of a shared approach within civic government to involve youth in the City of Vancouver’s public consultation processes.
-Youth were involved in a variety of City consultative processes, including budget consultations, City Plan (Community Visions Program - Youth View curriculum, advisory panel), young voter education during the civic election, Riley Park/Midtown Youth Forum, Latin American Youth Forum, Community Public Art selection panel, Hastings Park development discussions, and a large student forum through the School District.
-Young people served on municipal advisory committees and boards, such as the Family Court/Youth Justice Committee and the Cultural Communities Committee. Youth sit on the boards of directors of 12 local community centre associations.
-Participants in the Riley Park/Midtown forum emphasized the need for safe, non-alcoholic venues run by youth for youth with music, dancing and other activities. Participants in the Latin American Youth Forum expressed their concerns with how they are affected by racism, and made important recommendations about how they can participate in creating solutions.
-Youth were active contributors in a majority of the Community Public Art projects, as well as serving on the application review panel for this program.
5.Continue to support the development of Vancouver Youth Voices as a youth-run, city-wide network of youth groups as a way to ensure direct dialogue between City government, relevant boards and Vancouver youth.
-This unique organization, now a coalition of youth groups, has a strong committee of adult advisors and has partnered with Leadership Vancouver on an advocacy training project.
-For the first time VYV is receiving financial support through the City’s Community Services Grants Program. It is also looking to stabilize and enhance its ability to coordinate consultative processes regarding youth services in the city through requests for support from the Ministry for Children and Families and Vancouver/Richmond Health Board.
-A youth consultation day was held at City Hall, co-sponsored with Vancouver Youth Voices, to hear from a cross-section of youth about issues of importance to them and how they would like to be involved in future consultations around civic matters.
-Through a pilot project VYV has developed and conducted training for community centres in how to become more youth-friendly.
-They have also provided information on City services and issues through their newsletter.
6.Pay attention to the committee framework and strengthen links between key partners.
-Partnership with the Parks Board, Youth Services, is most developed. Partnership with the Vancouver School Board is strong in some areas (Partners at Work work experience project, district-wide student forum), but progress is challenged by the Board’s internal restructuring and the recent loss or reassignment of key district personnel. Similarly, changes within the Health Board have delayed a stronger formal partnership, but youth involvement initiatives are well underway. Police and Library links are well-established.
-The Vancouver Coalition of First Line Children and Youth Service Providers brings together a large and growing number of community agencies and government service providers. Monthly meetings are well attended and collaborative projects have been undertaken. The Coalition’s coordinator plays a key role in keeping all the partners informed of existing and emerging service delivery issues. This position is partially funded by a Community Services Grant.
-Vancouver’s participation in International Youth Week was led by the Park Board and delivered in partnership with other neighborhood-based service providers and civic departments/boards. The myriad of events which took place throughout the City and Lower Mainland showcased the artistic and other talents young people bring to life in our communities.
-A good example of partnership between the City, youth, the non-profit sector and the Province was the development of the Dusk to Dawn Youth Resource Centre. Sponsored by Family Services of Greater Vancouver and Hey-way’-noqu’ Healing Circle for Addictions Society, it was opened in the Comox Street Building of St. Paul’s Hospital in August, 1996. The Centre focuses on providing services to street youth between the ages of 13 to 21 years, offering a safe place to drop-in, access basic services such as meals, laundry, showers, and connect with other services (for example health care, alcohol and drug programs, police liaison, youth advocacy, educational and employment programs).
-Strong links are maintained with provincial ministries serving youth through civic participation on various committees (e.g. Ministry for Children and Families Planning Groups and advisory bodies, Vancouver Regional Child and Youth Committee, Interministerial Street Children’s Committee).
-The CYS Core Committee, regrouping key partners and youth, is well established and meets monthly. Full departmental representative meetings are held on a regular basis. (See Appendix 4 for committee memberships.)
7.Support the inter-municipal work of the Child and Youth Advocate to extend the base of civic government assistance to youth.
-Links are maintained with youth advocates or programmers in other Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island municipalities. Youth from several municipalities prepared a joint newsletter and presentation to the UBCM conference.
-The Advocate maintains contact with the Office of the Provincial Child, Youth and Family Advocate and the Premier’s Youth Office, and links with other child and youth advocates in municipalities around the province.
8.Assist youth initiatives addressing youth in the media.
-Youth Week provided an important opportunity to garner some positive media coverage of youth as a resource to the City, though broad media recognition of the event was still elusive.
-The Turning Point project worked hard to profile young women positively in various media.
-Street Youth Job Action’s "Wipe Out Graffiti" project received some promotional newspaper coverage, including their partnership with the City’s Engineering Department.
While not the only issues arising from the Civic Youth Strategy work, the following concerns stand out for discussion and attention:
A.The lack of both emergency and transition housing, and affordable, longer-term housing for youth continues to be raised by youth and service providers as an urgent issue in the City.
Lack of appropriate and effective supports, including stable housing, for youth aged 15 to 18 years who are living independently, is a serious concern. [A pilot program to improve access to services and supports for 16-17 year olds involving Ministry for Children and Families, Ministry of Human Resources and Ministry of Education, Skills and Training is now in the planning stages.] Youth aged 19 to 24 who have left school early, become street-involved, or whose English language skills are minimal are another group that is poorly served by current government programs. The report resulting from a survey of street youth’s experience with B.C. Benefits and YouthWorks, commissioned by the Advocate, highlighted the inadequacies of these programs in meeting the diverse and urgent needs of street-involved youth, for example the mandatory 7 month waiting period to access training programs and the difficulty in obtaining income assistance.
Until the housing and other basic support needs of youth are better met, we will continue to have a high rate of vulnerable young people on our streets, with the attendant risks of abuse in the sex trade, addictions and other health and safety concerns.
The City provides leadership in the housing field through its support for social housing initiatives, and has recently assisted in developing the three youth housing projects noted in Appendix 1 (Housing Centre). Addressing the acute housing needs of young people in Vancouver remains a critical issue.
B.Despite the widespread recognition that preventative services offer the best value in both human terms and cost effectiveness, the unmet treatment and intervention needs of youth in trouble and "at risk" make it difficult for government and non-government service providers to shift limited and reduced resources to the preventative end of the service continuum, e.g. to universal, non-stigmatizing programming.
The Parks Board’s network of community centre-based Youth Workers is an example of City leadership in making this investment in prevention that deserves to be followed by other institutions responsible for the support and well-being of youth.
Our challenge is to build public understanding of the need to "pay at both ends" in the short-term, before the long-term social benefits of investment in prevention become apparent.
C.As implementation and development of the Civic Youth Strategy proceeds, there is a need for on-going clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the various parties to the Strategy to maximize effectiveness and identify constraints. Building productive relationships between youth all over the City and the institutions and services affecting their lives is a labor-intensive process. Allocating sufficient staff time and priority to this process within various organizations is often challenging.
Two broad-based vehicles for strengthening these relationships are Vancouver Youth Voices and the Vancouver Coalition of Children and Youth Service Providers. The Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee maintains links with these two coalitions and can serve as an important channel for youth voices into civic government and a source of information on city government for the youth community.
The institutional partners in the Civic Youth Strategy need to continue to explore new ways of doing outreach and how to effectively partner with youth. This is exciting and vital work which reaps benefits for the youth involved and the city as a whole.
In addition to the work in progress and the projects planned by individual departments and boards, the co-chairs of the CYS Core Committee suggest the following be included in the workplan of the Civic Youth Strategy over the next twelve month period:
1.To explore ways to sustain on-going and meaningful youth involvement in the Civic Youth Strategy and the work of the City through Vancouver Youth Voices, working with civic departments and other community partners.
2.To continue to promote awareness of and involvement with the Civic Youth Strategy among all youth in the City, including special efforts to involve young people from diverse backgrounds.
3.To continue to promote the principles of the Civic Youth Strategy within civic departments and local boards and to support and monitor progress on related action plans.
4.To develop a proactive media strategy regarding coverage of youth issues and portrayal of youth, with the goal of promoting more informed and balanced coverage. This could include supplying youth-positive stories and undertaking a media watch.
5.To promote the principles of the Civic Youth Strategy with the business and service club communities.
6.To work with the Province and others to meet the basic needs of youth in the City in the following areas: shelter, housing, support services, health and safety.
As envisioned, implementation of the Civic Youth Strategy is a project shared across many civic departments and other municipal boards, as well as within the non-profit community and among youth themselves. All civic departments have become involved to some degree in working with youth. A momentum has developed between the various projects, large and small, that is building a broader consensus around the value of young people’s involvement in decision-making and the value of their contributions for the whole community. The more youth are involved in civic government and community life, the more we, as adults, learn about what a respectful involvement process looks like to them, and we are constantly reminded that their diversity defies all stereotypes.
The sheer volume of community activity by youth and for youth in the City has increased exponentially. This is a good thing. The various coalitions, committees, and networks focused on work, and play, with youth are playing a vitally important role in two respects: knowledge of "what works" is being shared and attention is being focused on worrisome trends and holes in the safety net. Significant progress is being made in starting conversations and keeping a collective focus on the best interests of youth and the opportunities for progress through cooperation.
Council’s leadership in this field, demonstrated by its commitment to implementing the principles of the Civic Youth Strategy throughout civic government and services, remains invaluable.
APPENDIX 1: Departmental/Boards’ Actions and Plans
APPENDIX 2: Workplan of the Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee
APPENDIX 3: Overview of the Civic Youth Strategy
APPENDIX 4: Membership of the Civic Youth Strategy Core and Departmental Representative Committees for 1996/97
APPENDIX 5: Vancouver Youth Voices: Information Sheet
APPENDIX 6:Vancouver Coalition of First Line Children and Youth Service Providers: Information Sheet
departmental/board actions and plans
Highlights from departmental and boards’ action plans are as follows:
All Civic Departments - participated in the Partners at Work project. Levels of involvement ranged from project team activities to providing job experience placements.
City Clerk’s - employed youth to help with the civic election day, provided outreach to young voters during the civic election, assisted with youth appointments to the Family Court/Youth Justice Committee, developed a youth home page on the City’s Internet site, assisted with publicizing Youth Week, distributed the City Week events listing to secondary schools, provided tours of the Archives and City Hall to school groups, and contracted with Street Youth Job Action to distribute the City Choices survey document. The department continues to use its notification process to contact youth about various issues. To date, youth seem most interested in planning, environmental and recreational issues e.g. skateboarding.
Future activities will include: working with the Vancouver School Board around distribution of elections information for the next civic election, developing an educational module on civic government for Grade 12 students, and assisting the Family Court/Youth Justice Committee with development of a community-participation-based model for youth diversion programs in Vancouver.
Civic Theatres - worked with the Vancouver School Board in placing students from their Hospitality and Tourism program into on-site work experience positions; assisted youth in securing mentoring positions in Civic Theatres or placements with other professional theatre organizations; conducted theatre tours for 55 youth groups, ages 25 and under (total 1,140 youth); provided performance facilities to a variety of arts groups who target youth audiences (24 performances for 34,327 youth); offered discount rates to Vancouver and region schools for graduation ceremonies (currently 24 schools take advantage of this), and provided low cost office space to the Vancouver Children’s Festival.
Corporate Services - participated in Partners at Work project, and will continue to do so. There are plans for older, used computers from Corporate Services (when the units become available) to be passed on to the School Board.
Engineering Services - continued to produce and present educational programs to elementary school children on recycling and water conservation; involved youth in the planning and implementation of streetscape design for their streets, e.g. Garden Drive; worked with Tourism Vancouver to involve youth and others in a city-wide, neighborhood clean-up project called "Keep Vancouver Spectacular"; and worked with Street Youth Job Action on cleaning-up graffiti on Granville Mall. 1997 City Street Banners were designed by children involved with Arts Umbrella.
Housing Centre - has worked with the Province and non-profit sponsors to acquire and develop sites for long-term housing for youth. These include: 1) 9 units sponsored by the United Native Nations and funded by the Province for youth 18 to 25 that opened in the past year at 1818 East Pender; 2) 14 units sponsored by the Native Health Society and funded by the Province for youth 14 to 19 that is now under construction at 600 Vernon Dr., and 3) 50 units of housing for singles between 18 and 45 sponsored by the VanCity Place society and funded by the City of Vancouver and private contributions, and which will include storefront services for youth, that is now under construction at 326 W. Pender.
Housing resources are limited, and this is the first long-term housing for youth developed under social housing programs. The Housing Centre will continue to work with the Province, youth, and others to develop housing options that provide the stable environment for youth to develop into productive members of society. However, limited resources and competing priorities will constrain what can be provided in the way of long-term housing for youth.
Human Resources Services and Equal Employment Opportunity Program - will continue to play the lead role in coordinating the Partners at Work project with the goal of involving more students and civic worksites; frequently spoke to secondary school classes about careers and career development.
Staff from the EEO office have participated in aboriginal career fairs at the Native Education Centre and Aboriginal Friendship Centre to provide information about job opportunities with the City to a mostly young audience. In addition, staff have made presentations on cross cultural sensitivity and human rights issues to participants of the Youth Leadership Program and to grade 12 students.
Law - supported the CYS by partnering lawyers with high school students for law office work experience. This experience has included one of the students attending a trial at the court house with a department lawyer. The department lawyers who became involved in these partnerships sincerely value these work experience programs and hope to continue participating in the Partners at Work project.
Libraries - participated in the Kwantlen College Work Placement program; sponsored or co-sponsored several youth initiatives, including Youth Forum 2000 and events during Youth Week 1996 and 1997; held creative writing, art displays and author readings at the library for youth; increased staffing in the Youth Department at Library Square, along with tours and self-guiding brochures of the facility aimed at youth; provided opportunities for youth groups to disseminate information with help from fund-raising efforts by The Friends of the VPL; and held a staff training workshop on working with youth. VPL looks forward to a continuing involvement with the youth of Vancouver.
Parks & Recreation - has played a leadership role in the coordination of Youth Week, secured funding for full-time youth workers for seven pilot project sites, provided staff development training for youth workers and other community centre staff around working with youth, and completed an outside evaluation of its youth services.
As a result of having youth workers on site, three community centres have developed dedicated spaces for youth.
The Board of Parks and Recreation will continue to co-chair the Civic Youth Strategy, play a leadership role in the Vancouver Coalition of First Line Children and Youth Service Providers, and work with the Ministry for Children and Families and the Vancouver School Board in developing community-based services.
Planning - developed Youth View, a curriculum to involve students in the Community Visions Program activities - over 650 students involved in a variety of ways, including displays of their work at the Community Ideas Fairs and at City Hall during Youth Week and participation in neighborhood discussions; young person recruited to bring youth voice to City Perspectives Panel; Sir Winston Churchill Secondary students have been assisting with facilitating public input through the Oakridge/Langara Streetscape Open Houses; planning team involved with students at Annie B. Jamieson Elementary, particularly the students’ bird houses project.
Police - continued working closely with the Dusk to Dawn Youth Resource Centre through Advisory Board and liaison officers, and with Youth Workers in other centres; engaged youth in sports activities such as drop-in basketball, the VPD Summer Soccer School and Night Hoops program; involved with youth in Crime Prevention Fair at Gaston Park; continued regular school and community centre visitations; ran Junior Police Challenge in four elementary schools; continued involvement in Duke of Edinburgh programs; and participated in the Interministerial Street Children’s Committee.
School Board - In preparation for the January 21, 1997 city-wide Youth Conference, surveys were sent to all 18 secondary schools asking a cross-section of students to prioritize issues in and about school. The compiled information identified the following topics for discussion at the conference: racism, post-secondary education, youth violence, career and personal planning, environmental concerns, violence in the home/relationships, and consistent/fair treatment by teachers/staff. The one hundred student attendees, along with School Board, Park Board and City of Vancouver staff representatives, developed action plans to be presented to three levels of government, funding and business groups. The next city-wide Youth Conference is tentatively scheduled for January 1999.
One hundred and twenty-six grade 12 students were placed in one-week work placements through the Partners at Work: Show What You Know project. This cooperative venture between the School Board’s Career and Community Education Services department and the City exposed students to a broad range of career possibilities within the civic workforce. Evaluation of the project by the students and sponsors was overwhelmingly positive and plans are underway for the fall of 1997 placements.
Social Planning - with Council support maintained grant funding levels for youth serving agencies who provide cultural and community services; chaired the Interministerial Street Children’s Committee; involved children and youth in the Community Public Art Program, provided support and funding to Vancouver’s child care community; co-sponsored forums with First Call!! B.C. Child and Youth Advocacy Movement; provided staff support to the Child & Youth Advocate, and delivered direct services to youth at the Carnegie Centre and Gathering Place (e.g. Learning Centres, cheap food, art and music programs). Some projects of note included: start-up funds for a performance art project called Turning Point which involved 300 young women in an event called Under Construction; Speaking in Chalk, a VanCity sponsored community project which gave users of the Carnegie and Gathering Place a way to present their thoughts and art to the public; and intergenerational summer activities at Oppenheimer Park for First Nations youth.
The Carnegie Centre will be revisiting their programming to address increased use of the facility by youth. The Gathering Place will work with the Roundhouse Community Centre to offer soccer programs to youth patrons. The Office of Cultural Affairs will build on partnerships with Park Board, Library and School Board staff to promote access to the arts for children and youth. The Community Services section will continue to work with non-profit agencies and senior levels of government to develop and support a continuum of preventative services for children and youth.
Vancouver/Richmond Health Board - continued to support the Civic Youth Strategy, sustained a Children and Youth Population Advisory Committee to include youth input into the region’s health planning; opened a Saturday youth clinic at Pine Clinic to provide health services to youth; increased youth involvement in the evaluation of health services for youth including school health programs; consulted gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth to ensure health services are inclusive and trained health staff to meet special counseling needs of youth with sexual identity issues; and liaised with the B.C. Children’s Hospital to improve transition for youth between community and hospital.
WORKPLAN OF THE CIVIC YOUTH STRATEGY CORE COMMITTEE FOR 1997/98
1.To strengthen and formalize the mutually supportive working relationship between the CYS Core Committee and Vancouver Youth Voices.
2.To prepare regular information bulletins about civic issues of interest to youth for the Vancouver Youth Voices newsletter and other local publications.
3.To develop a communications strategy which offers youth contacts and spokespeople on various issues to civic departments and boards, Council and its committees, business groups, media and government Ministries.
4.To assign designated youth contacts to selected civic departments to facilitate two-way communication and learning.
5.With Vancouver Youth Voices, to organize four events where youth from all around the City can meet to get to know each other and share information in an informal setting.
OVERVIEW OF THE CIVIC YOUTH STRATEGY
1.The Civic Youth Strategy is a municipal government initiative designed and developed in consultation with youth. On March 28, 1995 the City Council of Vancouver unanimously approved the CYS.
2.The CYS is civic government’s formal statement of commitment to work in partnership with youth and the larger community on issues affecting youth. The implementation of the CYS is an on-going venture in which the policy, objectives and principles of the CYS are translated into action.
3.The Civic Youth strategy includes:
-A Policy Statement on the City’s relationship with and commitment to youth
The City of Vancouver commits to involving youth as active partners:
1.In the development, assessment and delivery of civic services which have direct impact on youth, and
2.In broad spectrum community consultations and initiatives.
The City of Vancouver promotes and supports youth-driven youth groups as a key consultation resource to the City to ensure that the voices of youth are heard.
#1. Youth have "a place"/belong in the City:
a) services are accessible and user-friendly
b) there are youth-dedicated spaces
#2. Youth have a strong voice in decision-making
#3. Youth are seen as a resource in and to the City
#4.There is a strong support base for youth in the City.
-Three Principles of Action to guide work related to meeting the objectives:
-strong youth involvement at the local level
-partnership in planning and implementation
-assistance and support rather than control and management
-Leadership structures to sustain the Strategy - a coalition of municipal government, the Vancouver School Board and youth; a core working committee
-Current action plans for implementation of policy and objectives
MEMBERSHIP OF THE CIVIC YOUTH STRATEGY CORE AND DEPARTMENTAL REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEES
Civic Youth Strategy Core Committee
Adrienne Montani, Child & Youth Advocate, co-chair
Greg Eng, Manager of Youth Services, Park Board, co-chair
Joanna Wedge/Iris Yong, youth support, Vancouver Youth Voices
Liane Chapman, youth member, Vancouver Youth Voices
Karun Koernig, youth member, Environmental Youth Alliance
Kirby Go, youth member, GAB (The Centre)
Janey Lew, youth member, Strathcona Community Centre
Robin McConnell, youth member, United Youth Movement
Virginia Servage, youth member, Gathering Place/Watari
Satinder Sethi, youth member, Langara Community College
Janice Douglas, Vancouver Public Library
Stu Fleming, Vancouver Police Department
Ken Harvey, Vancouver School Board
Christopher Graham, Family Services of Greater Vancouver
Monica Stokl, Vancouver/Richmond Regional Health Board
Coralys Cuthbert, Social Planning Department
Katherine Mooney, Vancouver/Richmond Health Board
Civic Youth Strategy Departmental Representatives Committee
Adrienne Montani, Child & Youth Advocate, co-chair
Greg Eng, Manager of Youth Services, Park Board, co-chair
Debbie Anderson/ Judy Anderson/Margaret Watts, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation
Coralys Cuthbert, Social Planning Department
Janice Douglas/April Cox, Vancouver Public Library
Lance Ewan, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services
Stu Fleming, Vancouver Police Department
Jim Hall, Engineering Services
Ken Harvey, Vancouver School Board
Syd Kelland, Permits and Licences
Catherine Kinahan, Law Department
Rajpal Kohli, Equal Employment Opportunities Program
Nancy Largent, City Clerk’s Office
Scott Macrae, City Clerk’s Office
Monica Stokl/Katherine Mooney, Van./Richmond Health Board
Branca Verde/Trish French, Planning Department
Lorenz von Fersen, Office of Cultural Affairs
Donna Wong, Human Resource Services
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