Project to empower young people

A project aimed at helping young people in Sudbury and North Bay create positive change in their lives kicked off at Tom Davies Square earlier this month.

The Young Community Leaders Project will hire a full-time facilitator in each city who will work out of the YMCA Employment Services office. The facilitators will train five to 10 volunteers aged 15 to 25 in leadership skills. The volunteers, in turn, will meet with their peers, community groups and businesses to paint a picture of how well or poorly the cities engage young people in leadership roles. In phase two, the volunteers will work with a task force to develop three projects that address young people's needs.

The three-and-a-half-year project is the vision of the Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs, a community development organization and registered charity.

"Young Canadians today are facing increased violence, higher unemployment rates than the national average - often leading to out-migration of youth in northern communities, and few opportunities to voice their issues, needs and concerns," the group said in a release. First year funding is being provided by the charity and Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

The volunteers will get experience in the field of community development and the opportunity to accumulate community service hours.

"I think it'll be a huge asset to the community," said Kayla Bisson, a student in the child and youth worker program who sat on a task force that helped launch the project. Dean Brownlee, a youth officer with Greater Sudbury Police Service, added, "We need to find ways to empower our youth."

To apply for a job as a full-time facilitator in Sudbury or North Bay, go to www. icacan.ca.