Youth Action Now project underway

Youth Action Now is a new, youth-oriented project sponsored by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Saskatchewan Provincial Council (UCC-SPC) and the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan (MCoS) with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The project will enable the province’s youth to voice their concerns for the future of Saskatchewan by means of extensive province-wide consultations. It will be an example of how young people, regardless of background, can come together to become active members of society and affect change and contribute to its growth, dynamism and cultural diversity. This youth-oriented project is designed, managed and driven by youth.

Youth Action Now will kick off on March 1, 2004 and the findings will be presented on June 27, 2005 - Canada's Multiculturalism Day. YAN is also designed to tie in with Saskatchewan’s Centennial Celebrations.

Over 93 different ethnic origins are represented in the roughly 969,000 people who call Saskatchewan home. It is also the only province in Canada where the majority of the population is of neither French nor English descent. Barriers stemming from discrimination and misunderstanding continue to exist within our society and new ones appear as the province’s demographic make-up changes. In recent years there has emerged an increasingly negative attitude by the province’s youth towards the future of the province and their place in it.

In response to these trends, UCC-SPC and MCoS have brought their collective resources and experience together to afford the opportunity our youth province to devise a Blueprint for Saskatchewan’s multicultural future.

There are three main outcomes of the project:

1. Multicultural Connectivity – expanded opportunities for youth to become engaged in the multicultural community.
2. Multicultural Awareness = Opportunities – greater awareness of and respect for other cultures and expanded capability to open doors to more opportunities for youth.
3. Increased Global Perspectives – raised awareness by educational institutions for youth.

Some of YAN’s measurable accomplishments include:

1. Interactive Web site
2. A baseline survey of youth attitudes towards multiculturalism and diversity
3. Successful holding of up to 19 youth forums and one major provincial gathering
4. Blueprint for Action
5. A number of multicultural showcases held across the province
6. The collaboration of business, government, community and youth leaders in ‘The Gathering’ in Regina
7. The training of youth in leadership, facilitation and project development skills

Involving over 5,000 youth, Youth Action Now will prove to be an exciting, productive project in the province. If you would like to be involved in this dynamic undertaking, please contact the Youth Action Now Coordinators at 306.652.0961 or e-mail at yan.victoria@ucc.sk.ca.