The city, School District 72 and the RCMP are the first to sign on to the city’s new Youth Charter.
Representatives from the three organizations took part in the ceremonial signing during the June 12 council meeting.
The Charter was developed by the city’s Youth Action Committee which is made up of 13 teens in Grades 9 through 12 who meet three times per month. The Charter is a set of vision statements that outline youth values, priorities and vision for Campbell River.
The Youth Action Committee will meet with the Charter signatories once a year to ensure the organizations are working towards meeting the goals of the Youth Charter.
“The Youth Action Committee will work with the city and partner organizations to move toward implementing the youth vision over time,” said Mariah Carpenter, chair of the Youth Action Committee, in a report to council. “YAC may also invite additional organizations to sign on to the Charter on an annual basis.”
The committee has worked on several projects throughout the school year.
One of those is working to find youth entertainment at venues such as Spirit Square and the Tidemark Theatre.
Carpenter told council she attended the Shania Twin (impersonator) concert with her mother in April and the audience was mostly older adults. Carpenter said she’d like to see acts geared towards teenagers and suggested bringing in one of the bands from Carihi.
“We’ve been brainstorming what we want to see,” Carpenter said.
The Youth Committee has also been looking into the concept of a youth centre – a safe place for youth to go that’s all their own.
Timberline student Paige Derouin said the committee conducted a survey of 357 students in Grades 7-12, and 250 said they would go to a youth centre while just more than 100 said they had no interest in such a place.
The Youth Committee has also been busy fundraising.
The students sold visual representations of what the committee does during the Earth Week Film Festival and raised $950.
Of that amount, $400 was given to the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society; $400 was put towards a bursary in 2013 for a student planning to study in the environmental field; and $150 was donated to the Robron Centre Community Garden.
Coun. Claire Moglove was impressed with the students’ efforts.
“We very much appreciate your enthusiasm, you’re the future of Campbell River so your voices are very important,” she said.
The committee will be actively recruiting two new members in the fall, as two students will be graduating from Grade 12 this month. The other members all plan to return.