Join City of Victoria Youth Council 2017-2018

The City of Victoria Youth Council (CVYC) is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 programming year.

CVYC is a youth-driven, grassroots program that offers opportunities for civic engagement to youth who live, work, hang out or go to school in the City of Victoria. We believe that youth are key stakeholders and should be included in decisions that affect them and their communities as a whole. The CVYC is funded and hosted by the City of Victoria and is composed of youth ages 14-24 who volunteer their time to build their capacity as leaders and activists to bring about the change they want to see in their city. Please see the attached digital brochure outlining this year’s program priorities and topics.

Being a member requires:

Interest and passion for issues relating to youth in the City of Victoria.
Ability to work well as part of a team.
A one-year commitment
Being between the ages of 14 to 24.
Living, working, hanging out or going to school in the City of Victoria.
Attending weekly gatherings every Tuesday 6pm-8pm
Staying in regular communication (email, Facebook or phone) with the CVYC Coordinator and other members.

The application process is not competitive. We accept new members until we fill up all the spots available. The City of Victoria Youth Council is committed to forming a group that represents the diversity of youth in Victoria. We strongly encourage youth of colour, youth with disabilities, young mothers, Indigenous youth, LGBTQ2+ youth and youth from all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds to apply.

If you have any questions please contact us at info@cvyc.ca

A Year in Review

Call It Out! A Dialogue on Migrant Justice

June 7, 6pm-8pm
Cafe Fantastico Specialty Coffees, 965 Kings Rd.
RSVP Here.

Are you an immigrant, refugee, migrant or just curious? Come engage in discussion on migrant justice issues. Hear from guest speakers on issues including racism and anti-migrant sentiment, education and skills transfer for newcomers, and why citizenship is a loaded word.

Join CVYC in sharing experiences, challenging the status-quo, and changing perceptions.

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All activities of the City of Victoria Youth Council take place on the unceded Coast Salish lands and waters of the Lekwungen nations. We are privileged to be doing this work and acknowledge our responsibility as settlers to extend our solidarities to Indigenous communities and their movements. We cannot talk about migrant issues without centering the urgency for decolonization and the right of Indigenous people to sovereignty and self-governance.

Accessibility
– This is an intergenerational dialogue event all are welcome
– Bus tickets are available for youth
– Gender neutral washrooms
– ASL interpretation is available upon request
– Wheelchair and Powerchair accessible

If you have any questions about this event or the City of Victoria Youth Council, please send them to info@cvyc.ca

Wednesday, May 24th
6pm-8pm
722 Cormorant St. Suite 300

City of Victoria Youth Council members Shae-Linn Davies, Sara Maya Bhandar, Sammy Ross, and Paige Collins are raising awareness about housing affordability in the city and its impacts on youth. The group is campaigning online and on the streets using guerilla art and #youthhousingyyj.

In May 2017, the group conducted an online survey of youth to better understand current housing issues. The results of this survey are being transformed into public art in downtown Victoria. To get involved in the planning and transformation of this data into street art, attend the public workshop being hosted on May 24th.

Access
Scent-reduced space, elevator on-site, accessible for wheelchairs and powerchairs, bus tickets and vegetarian dinner provided, by youth for youth ages 14-24.

CVYC Mural Project

Start your summer with the CVYC Mural Project. We invite youth ages 14-24 to collaboratively produce a community mural at the Yates St. Community Garden. Participants will be supported by Indigenous Artist in Residence at the City of Victoria, Lindsay Delaronde to develop a vision and execute the mural. The CVYC Mural Project runs every Saturday from May 27th to June 24th.

Participants who complete the mural and attend all five sessions will receive a $100 honorarium upon completion.

Youth with all levels of artistic skill and experience are invited to register by emailing info@cvyc.ca. Space is limited.

Lindsay Delaronde is an Iroquois Mohawk woman born and raised on the Kahnawake reservation outside of Montreal, is also a multi‐disciplinary Visual Arts MFA alumna (2010) and has been a professional practicing artist for the past five years. Her work was in the spotlight with her 2016-17 exhibit In Defiance at UVic’s Legacy Gallery. “I hope to create artworks that reflect the values of this land, which are cultivated and nurtured by the Indigenous peoples of this territory,” said artist Lindsay Delaronde. “I see my role as a way to bring awareness to and acknowledge that reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is a process, one in which I can facilitate a collaborative approach to creating strong relationships to produce co-created art projects in Victoria.”

All-Candidates Q&A with Youth

The City of Victoria Youth Council (CVYC) hosted a non-partisan All-Candidates Q&A for youth of all ages on Saturday, April 29th. Key issues such as education, transportation, and health care were discussed. Candidates from Victoria-Beacon Hill, Victoria-Swan Lake, Oak Bay-Gordon Head, and Saanich South joined to help youth gear up for election day – May 9th.

Check out The Martlet’s article on the youth all-candidates event.
Some questions you should be asking before you vote.
All the information you need about voting.

Mid-Year Review

CVYC’s 2016/2017 cohort recently cross the mid-year point in our program. We spent some time reflecting on our experience thus far.

We are proud of accomplishing the following:

Learning about the realities and legacy of colonization
Becoming familiar with our neighbourhoods and connecting with people in our city
Strategically planning a community event
Community mapping and identifying places in Victoria that are not safe for youth
Taking steps to addressing the needs of Victoria’s youth
Spending time doing something we are passionate about by being a part of CVYC

This is some of what we have accomplished thus far:

We met with City Council and Staff to discuss the issues concerning youth in our city
We connected with other community organizations
We spent time to learn about colonization and its impacts
We have worked towards unlearning colonialism
We have planned 3 community projects and have worked effectively in action teams
We have increased our knowledge about social justice issues
We have all learned to work together and create safe space for collaboration

Here are a few things we hope to do as we move forward:

Attend poetry workshops
Host an open mic event for youth
Raise awareness about mental health resources in the Victoria
Identify the housing demands of youth in Victoria
Continue exploring decolonization and reconciliation within our communities
Build social connections with our community and a strong team culture within CVYC
Host one big event planned by the entire CVYC group
Participate in a community garden