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
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.