Policy Consultations

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Did you know that Canada is getting its very own youth policy? IYHD recently gave youth in Toronto a chance to make their voice heard and influence the future of this policy that will affect them and their communities!

The Institute for Youth Health and Development, in collaboration with a number of other youth groups, co-hosted the Toronto Youth Policy consultation event on Sunday, August 26th.

This event was part of the 'For Youth, With Youth' initiative, a youth-led and -organized, non-partisan consultation taking place across Canada to reach at least 1,000 young people and discover what issues matter to them most. We gathered some amazing data on what youth think should be included in Canada’s new youth policy.
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Youth are engaged, though typically marginalized actors in policy discussions. It is a positive step that Canada is formulating a new policy that takes into account the priorities, concerns, and vision that youth in this country have for their peers and future.

With this in mind, and given the ongoing consultation period held by the PCO on this topic, the organizers of the series want to ensure that as many voices are heard and accounted for, especially those voices of Indigenous, differently-abled, racialized, newcomer, and LGBTQ+ youths. Currently, few of Canada’s estimated 9 million young people will have been engaged in the new policy. However, we know that all young people should have an opportunity to have their perspective heard during the formulation of a policy that will directly affect them.

The purpose of the cross-country series was to reach as many young Canadians as possible and hear their diverse perspectives in an inclusive setting, with the goal of:

🍁 Identifying issues important to youth and solutions to improve the lives of young Canadians;
🍁 Examining the supports that enable all youth, regardless of their background, to be Canada’s leaders; and
🍁 Understanding how youth want their voices to be heard and how youth want to influence the Government of Canada’s actions and decisions.
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The deliverable from this consultation and the others held around the country will be a comprehensive report detailing who attended, where they came from, the issues they care most about, and tangible recommendations about what they want to see included in Canada’s new Youth Policy. This will be provided directly to the Privy Council Office's Youth Secretariat.

If you have questions or want to learn more about this initiative visit our website: www.YouthConsultation.com .

IYHD will be hosting many more policy consultation and education events throughout the year! Check back here in the weeks to come for details on our upcoming Policy & Advocacy education event set for late October!