A new project in Prince Edward County will focus on boosting youth engagement in the local community.
The County’s Community Development Department (CDD), the Recreation Outreach Centre (ROC), and The County Foundation are participating in a Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) project focused on youth engagement strategies.
“We want to involve more youth in our decision-making processes and listen to their voices,” says Steve Ferguson, mayor of Prince Edward County. “The opinions and experiences of youth have the capacity to inspire and inform the evolution of a variety of community programs, services, by-laws, and infrastructure. Youth input is vital if we are to attract and retain the next generation of County residents.”
Funding from the ROI project will support the hiring of an intern who will develop and implement youth engagement strategies. Additionally, the intern will actively provide a voice for local youth in community development activities.
“We look forward to this partnership to promote new strategies for engaging youth in their community and to become more active citizens of Prince Edward County,” says Darlene Thompson, Executive Director, ROC. “We want young people to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become actively engaged with the community issues that affect them and to contribute to the decision-making process.”
The intern will undertake several new events and initiatives, including a youth summit in Prince Edward County. In addition, the intern will support the youth advisory committee in sharing with the municipal council its views on a variety of local topics.
The project partners are currently in the process of hiring the intern. The successful candidate will be announced in the next several weeks. The intern will hold the position from May to August 2019 and will be working under the supervision of the ROC along with support from The County Foundation’s Greater Than Youth Collective and the Community Development Department.
Prince Edward County is one of 10 community partners selected for the Municipal Internship: Youth Engagement Strategies project. ROI is a non-profit organization committed to developing leaders, initiating dialogue, supporting collaboration and promoting action on issues and opportunities facing rural and northern Ontario. Support from the Ontario government has enabled the youth engagement project.
For more information about the project, contact Emily Cowan, Grants and Special Projects Coordinator, County of Prince Edward, at 613.476-2148 ext. 2503 or email ecowan@pecounty.on.ca.
