By: Lily Viggiano, Project Coordinator, HYI
August 16, 2021
On August 11, 2021 the first-ever State of Youth report was released on the Government of Canada’s website. An email sent by the Youth Secretariat stated, “The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and Parliamentary Secretary Adam van Koeverden will present the release of the Report. In addition, Members of the Youth Advisory Group, who were tasked with interpreting the data and writing the youth-authored content of the report, will be present.” Lily and Amber Siddiqui tuned in live on Facebook to watch the launch.
The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion
Alex Diagle (elle/sa) is a member of the Youth Advisory Council who created the Report, to summarize one of her statements – “pleasantly surprised that youth were vulnerable to share their thoughts and opinions on the questions, particularly on mental health – especially given the pandemic and COVID-19 times… We often forget that Canada is a big country and the experiences are so vast that accessibility is still a big concern for many groups. While my experience was resonated in the report… there were also stark differences in other experiences and how can we make sure this was including in the report. We hope the report is representative of that.”
Alex Diagle, Youth Advisory Council Member
How does the State of Youth report connect with the Halton Youth Initiative?
In addition to providing interesting and informative information on six key areas of concern, there are connections to both HYI volunteers and staff.
In 2018 and 2019, HYI Project Coordinator, Lily Viggiano, was seconded by Volunteer Canada to support the development of the Canada Service Corps. A key event was her participation at the Canada Youth Summit which helped inform the Canada’s Youth Policy . One of the action items from the Youth Policy is the establishment of the State of Youth report - an ongoing data collection report to take place every four years.
So when an Instagram post from Leaders Today promoted community consultation sessions, Lily signed up the Halton Youth Initiative to participate! On December 1 and 2, the Halton Youth Initiative provided valuable insights and experiences in sessions hosted by representatives of the Students Commission of Canada. They focused on two key areas: Wellness and Environment and Climate Change.
Great to see this loop of feedback close out with the report and insights. What’s next - a call to action to community organizations and local government to review the report and make strategic decisions based on the results!
Further Reading