Future North launches as new initiative to engage with regional youth
Empowering and engaging with local youth is going to be the mission of a new initiative which has officially launched called 'Future North.'
The five-year initiative is funded by the federal government and the Tamarack Institute as part of the Community Building Youths Futures Initiative which is working with roughly 13 communities.
"So Future North is actually a network for youth that was co-developed with youth in the district of Sudbury and Manitoulin over the past year, so we have a leadership table who oversees the direction, priority and work of our initiative," said program manager Nicole Minialoff.
The website has now officially launched and with it comes a map that shows youth where they can find some of the existing resources available.
They are expecting the next few weeks to be rather busy as they look to engage with youth on a more personal level.
Team members have already been working to raise awareness through their social media channels that include both Facebook and Instagram.
"There's a lot of resources out there but youth don't know what's available, what they're eligible for and how to reach out and connect with those services," explained Minialoff.
Kerry Yang is a grade 12 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School. She learned about the program through her school and now works with the initiative as a youth intern.
She and another intern at Lasalle Secondary are working on a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, persons of colour) initiative within Future North to tackle engagement and youth issues from that perspective.
Yang says it's very personal for her, given that she is a first-generation Canadian.
"We don't see ourselves in books, or in media or in just the classroom at all and that takes a really big toll on our identity and our confidence so Future North is really tackling that by giving these youth opportunities and making them feel valued in their community," said Yang.
"One of the main feedback is youth aren't heard, their voices aren't heard so often youth are just used as tokenism so big business use youth in their community just to have them there but don't listen to them - here at Future North we really want to put youth in positions of power," said another youth, Keanna Duguay, who works as the community engagement coordinator.
They'll be travelling the area in mid-October to meet more young people, pandemic permitting, in hopes of further promoting the initiative and showing youth what's available in their own district.
While it's been dubbed a network, Minialoff knows it's going to be so much more, what they do and how they do it is also being driven by the issues they face.
They hope to be adding more things to the resource map as time goes on including cultural resources and outdoor spaces.
"Now that we're officially launching our website and our brand - we intend to engage hundreds, if not thousands of youth throughout the district over the next few years," she said.
Minialoff and her team say they have big things planned moving forward as they look to empower the city's next generation of future leaders.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.