More than 100 youth took part in You-th Speak Up on May 7, bringing concerns about safety, transit, employment, recreation and community spaces directly to city officials and the Students’ Commission of Canada.
The event, held at Gateway Mall across from Claire’s, was hosted by the City of Prince Albert and the Students’ Commission of Canada. It was designed as a come-and-go event for youth ages 12 to 25, with live music, activities and a chance to speak with city officials in an informal setting.
The area around the event was busy throughout the afternoon, with a youth band playing near the venue and drawing attention from people passing through the mall. Inside, youth moved between activity stations, including a vision board and question zones where they could write down their ideas for Prince Albert’s future.
Tara Switenky, community lead with the Students’ Commission of Canada, said the final tally showed more than 110 youth attended. Some parents and younger children also stopped by, making the event intergenerational, but Switenky said the strongest response came from youth who wanted to share ideas about the community they live in.
“It was a good mix,” Switenky said. “We had lots of youth participation, and they had fun while giving us their ideas for the community that they live in.”
Anna Dinsdale, the City’s community safety and well-being manager, said the event went better than expected. The City did not do a formal headcount because the event was come-and-go, but Dinsdale estimated between 50 and 60 different youth took part over the afternoon.
She said what stood out was the range of young people who attended and the quality of feedback they provided.
“Overall the event, I think, was even better attended than what we’d hoped,” Dinsdale said.
Dinsdale said feedback was collected through five different zones of questions, each with several prompts. The comments covered a wide range of issues, including employment opportunities, safety, transit, mobility, the need for safe third places to meet and gather, and more affordable or free recreational opportunities.
She said youth did not only bring forward problems.
“They come to the table not just identifying issues, but they always come up with solutions,” Dinsdale said. “There’s always generally a positive approach and the willingness to be part of the solution.”
Dinsdale said she often hears people speak negatively about youth in the community. She said Thursday’s event showed a different side of Prince Albert’s young people.
“Yesterday showed me very clearly that we have a broad range of youth in our community that are invested and want to participate and want to be heard,” she said.
Switenky said the event also reached young people who were not currently in the school system. Some had graduated, some had started post-secondary education, some had disrupted education, and others were already working full time.
She said those youth brought forward concerns about how difficult it can be to enter the workforce, the lack of mentorship and the lack of natural gathering spaces after high school.
“There isn’t a natural gathering place for young people,” Switenky said, adding that some young adults feel unseen after high school if they do not move directly into post-secondary education.
Madin Hoey, a youth organizer with the Students’ Commission of Canada, said Prince Albert has support systems for youth, but could improve transit and safety.
Hoey said buses should feel safer and there should be more patrols later at night, especially for youth walking home from work, friends or family.
“Even me, I work from five o’clock in the afternoon till 11 at night, and I don’t really feel safe walking home,” Hoey said. “It’s my only option, because I have to walk home, and I live on the West Flat.”
Hoey said the City and council should take youth feedback seriously and use it when making changes.
“Take the feedback and just put it into their thought processes when they make change or they make new rules or bylaws,” Hoey said. “Not just take the sticky notes and read them and then throw them in the garbage.”
Ward 2 Coun. Troy Parenteau said he was “absolutely amazed” by the turnout. He said the event started slowly around 2 p.m., but became busy and stayed that way until 7 p.m.
Parenteau said it was important for him to attend because part of Ward 2 includes the downtown, where many of the issues youth raised connect directly with city work.
“There were some conversations around employment,” Parenteau said. “It’s really hard for youth to find jobs these days, and we know that that’s an issue across Canada. There were some conversations around food security. There were some conversations around transit.”
Parenteau said transit and security are already on council’s radar. He said some city buses are in rough condition, and that affects seniors, people with disabilities and youth.
“That was nice to hear that some of the work we’re doing in the council chamber is reflected in the community, and that we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.
Switenky said some youth continued thinking about their answers after the event ended. Organizers had already received follow-up emails from youth who wanted to add more ideas.
“The reflections that the youth gave are the evidence we need that we need more participation and insight from the youth in our community,” Switenky said. “They’re up for it. They are up for the challenge, and they have amazing ideas and a solution focus that I don’t think most adults recognize in them.”
The Students’ Commission will prepare a public shareback in June and present the feedback to city council. Switenky said the information will also be made available to the broader community and shared with schools and youth-serving organizations.
Dinsdale said the youth involved with the Students’ Commission will lead the first stage of organizing the feedback and provide the City with a report. After that, the information will be shared across departments, including transit, public works, corporate services, economic development and the city clerk’s office, depending on the issues raised.
A youth delegation is also expected to appear before executive committee in the coming months. Dinsdale said they may ask for clearer ways to formalize youth voices in civic decision-making.
She said the City will have to balance formal structures with more flexible ways of hearing from young people.
“There is a risk that we over formalize things,” Dinsdale said. “There are some opportunities to formalize structures, but also to make sure that we have mechanisms in place for that more fluid information gathering.”
Hoey said events like You-th Speak Up help shape the future of Prince Albert and should continue. He said youth also have a role to play by coming together and supporting each other.
“We should all just unify and be kind to one another,” Hoey said.
Dinsdale said the message she hopes youth took away from the event was simple.
“We’re listening,” she said. “We hear them.”
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
