From April through June, Metro Vancouver’s School and Youth Leadership Programs successfully hosted three unique regional online Youth4Action events, including an ambassadors’ network meeting and youth leadership clinics.
These highly participatory events were well attended by engaged youth, despite the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, busy school year-end and Zoom fatigue. The events equipped high school student leaders with the knowledge, skills and inspiration needed to influence awareness and action for sustainability in schools and communities across our region.
A Youth4Action Network Meeting brought together past program participants to share ideas and opportunities to support and inform future Youth4Action programs.
At two leadership clinics, more than 60 students learned about recent behaviour change campaign successes and explored how policies are connected to their lives and informed by science and data to guide and influence change. Youth shared their ideas for applying what they learned to enhance their school-based youth leadership initiatives.
Coquitlam student leader and Youth4Action ambassador Caris Truong shared: “I learned that the creation of policies requires a lot of collaboration and discussion, so it’s important to find common values.”
The Youth4Action team is excited to further develop a regional network of ambassadors, like Caris, who provide valuable input to school and youth leadership programs, and also to Metro Vancouver regarding plans that will impact our region now and into the future.
