The fourth iteration of the North Shore Young Citizens’ Forum, an initiative to get those on the North Shore aged 18 to 39 more involved in local politics, is now accepting applications for its 2024 cohort.
The forum, running from the beginning of February to mid-May 2024, sees participants gain better understanding of the ins and outs of governmental work in North Vancouver city and district and the District of West Vancouver via a series of workshops.
“The whole impetus for this was to find a way to help younger adults understand local government, where decisions often have quite a bit of impact on our personal lives,” said Murray Mollard, executive director at North Shore Community Resources.
Mollard said the months-long event is split up into two main segments.
The first, a “learning phase,” involves participants meeting with local government staff and councillors in council chambers to gain a stronger understanding of what those entities do, he said. The second will see participants working on projects that they will then present to the councils at the end of the forum.
“Generally speaking, we allow a lot of autonomy for the participants to have their interests drive the kinds of projects they want to work on. If people have particular issues, whether it be transportation, housing, parks, the environment, whatever it is, people who participate will have a chance to dig a bit more into what they care about," he said.
The feedback received from the previous three forums has been “generally very positive," he said.
“They have definitely learned more about local governments, they feel like they have gained relationships, both with their fellow participants, but also with municipal staff and councillors in a way that they feel more empowered to participate in local government decision making of one kind or another,” he said.
“They’re not going to be intimidated going to a council meeting, maybe even now they will be standing up to speak to a matter. They’ve gained a network of younger adults who they may interact with in a continuing way in their lives.”
While the forum isn’t intended to be a training place for politicians, the connections gained and learning that occurs will equip people with the skill set and understanding needed should they be interested in such a career path, said Mollard. Some participants have even gone on to run for municipal councils, though none have been successful as of yet.
For Hassan Merali, a former participant who is now a co-facilitator for the forum, the experience shaped his life in more ways than he expected.
“The experience has been transformative for me. Before the forum I knew a lot about federal and provincial politics, but I knew very little about municipal government and how I could participate in shaping my community,” he said.
“The forum gave me the skills and knowledge to participate in city council meetings, public hearings, public engagements and how to contact and engage with city councillors and staff,” he said, adding how meeting such high profile government figures helped to “demystify the process” and normalize political leaders.
Merali said everyone can benefit from the program, whether there is an interest in politics and policy or simply a desire to better understand how the community is shaped.
“There’s a place for you in the forum. It’s not just for people who are into politics, it’s for people who want to better understand their city,” he said. “I’ve watched all kinds of people come through the forum, and every single one came away with new skills, knowledge, and friends. This is the stuff they should have taught you in high school, it’s essential to being able to participate in our democracy and have your voice heard.”
To apply visit the North Shore Community Resources website. Applications are open until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 7.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.