This time around, Matt Ross has a better idea of what to expect.
With the second election of the London Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) now behind him, Ross, who founded the initiative, is looking forward to working with 13 newly elected young Londoners who will assemble to address issues affecting youth in the Forest City.
Meant to mirror a city council while maintaining autonomy, Ross and friends came up with the idea of LYAC last year as a way to engage youth in municipal politics. The council consists of 13 elected youth between the ages of 15-25 with representatives from local school boards and postsecondary institutions.
“We saw there was federal and provincial representation and student advocacy. This (lack at the municipal level) was a huge gap, an absence. The tension of youth in the city is a huge issue and the idea of having a democratic youth council came out of that,” said Ross, who graduated from Western with a Philosophy degree in 2011 and is now studying Chemistry part-time.
The initiative is unique in Canada, he added, noting he didn’t know what to expect last year, not knowing who would run, how many would vote and how the organization would proceed after formation.
Last year, LYAC formed six committees around priorities identified by councilors including engagement with the arts community, environment and working with the London Transit Commission to provide better service. The idea was to have LYAC make suggestions to the city council on policy and changes that could benefit London youth.
This year, the approach to addressing issues affecting young Londoners will be slightly different, Ross said.
“This first year was an experiment. We’ve had to built it from scratch and now we will rework it based on what we’ve learned. The first year, (the six committees) worked on projects in their area, seeing what could be done. They had to lead and solve issues,” he continued.
Committees are now scrapped. LYAC will take a more individualized approach this year, asking councillors to take charge of issues they see as important. This will ensure those delegated to certain issues will be motivated to see them through.
“The responsibility will be in one person to lead certain initiatives. If someone has an idea, they become the sole champion of it. And resources and people can be built around it – instead of a committee,” he said.
Youth who ran but weren’t elected, he continued, will hopefully work with LYAC this year as community captains who will further the council’s mandate of creating clusters of youth leadership in the community.
LYAC has established a working partnership with city council as well as a number of local organizations, among them Youth Opportunities Unlimited and the London Public Library.
“One of its big successes is the fact that (LYAC) has worked in the first place,” Ross said. “The more you increase the density of a network of youth leaders, the more powerful it becomes. I want to connect youth with organizations in the city, passionate youth, and connect them deeply in this network and create a hub. Incredible things can come of that.”
The first time around, 22 people ran for LYAC and the election garnered roughly 3,600 votes. This year, with better advertising and the same amount of candidates, roughly 5,000 people voted.