Children First Canada is preparing to launch a new exciting initiative, the Young Canadians’ Parliament (YCP). I would like to extend an invitation for you to support the launch of this historic initiative by engaging children and youth in your riding and inviting them to connect with their peers from across the country as they come together to form their own “Parliament.”
What is the Young Canadians’ Parliament?
The concept has been co-designed and will be co-developed and led by Children First Canada’s Youth Ambassadors and Youth Advisory Council. It is built from a rights-based approach, and one of the central tenets involves teaching children their rights and supporting their participation in decisions that affect their lives. The YCP is open to all children and youth in Canada under the age of 18 and will involve participants that represent the rich diversity of Canadian society and we are committed to addressing barriers to participation.
Why now?
The YCP will provide a platform to support children and youth to be meaningfully engaged in the protection of their rights throughout the COVID-19 crisis and recovery efforts, with a view to creating a sustainable model to ensure continued mentoring, skills development and democratic engagement into the future. We will begin by holding one national virtual forum per month beginning in June 2020 and leading up to National Child Day on November 20, 2020. The creation of the YCP has been made possible thanks to the support of Canadian Heritage’s Youth Take Charge program.The launch will take place on Thursday, June 18 beginning at 1:30 p.m. (EDT). This first session is focused on the launch of the YCP, and there will also be thematic breakout sessions on mental health and summer plans (i.e. the closure of schools).
How can you help?
We are inviting you to:
Support this initiative by encouraging the children and youth in your riding to sign up for the event, which may include encouraging parents to encourage their children to sign up.
Do you run or participate in a Youth Advisory Council? Please share this invitation with them.
There will be a frequently asked questions page on our website so if they aren’t sure what to expect, they can get answers to common questions. If you still want to know more, you can reach out to Alyssa Frampton, our Youth Engagement Coordinator at [email protected]. She would be happy to answer any questions you might have.For more details on YCP and how children and youth can register, please use this link.Thank you for your consideration and thanks in advance for your help in reaching children and youth in your riding. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments and if you would like to support this initiative.
