The Latest News from OYEC

OYEC team updates April 2023

The Ottawa Youth Engagement Committee (OYEC) is a group of engaged youth and community leaders, partnered with the City of Ottawa, who strive to make Ottawa better for youth by informing official decisions and outreach. 

Youth Ottawa has been OYEC’s home since 2015 but the group was put on pause during the pandemic. In 2022, the group reunited with new members. Since then, they have spearheaded the proclamation of two national Youth Weeks and have formed four subcommittees: human rights, climate change, mental health, and affordability/accessibility.

The four subcommittees have 20 members who meet monthly, both as separate subcommittees and together in general meetings. Over the past couple of months, these subcommittees have had some more amazing progress, with the help of their new subcommittee chairpersons.

The mental health subcommittee is working on a mental health report, which will outline the missing services and supports that need to be addressed to support Ottawa youth. The goal for the report is to spread awareness for the struggles young people are facing and to shed light on where the city could improve their support.

The human rights subcommittee is working on a similar project. They are creating a media campaign to broadcast discussions about youth issues, such as racism and inequality, once a month. 

As for the climate change subcommittee, they are working on a “green roof” project, which aims to implement more urban gardening strategies on the roofs of businesses and other buildings within the city. This will increase urban biodiversity, will help build communities, and may help address food insecurity. 

OYEC program coordinator Fahma Khalif said her favourite part has been seeing the development of the original OYEC members.

“Seeing them take over OYEC and become the voices of OYEC and being passionate about the projects they’re leading … I loved seeing,” she said.

OYEC is also looking forward to some more events! 

To finish off Youth Week, OYEC is planning a Youth Engagement Networking Event on May 5 for young community leaders to come together and share ideas. The event will take place at City Hall from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and there will be refreshments and prizes at the door available. To RSVP, please contact fahma@youthottawa.ca. 

At the end of May, OYEC will be hosting their first in-person meeting. In partnership with Hot Shoe Productions, they will interview most of the OYEC members to talk about the group’s projects and film the entire meeting. This footage will then be used on OYEC’s new social media channels, which will be launched in the next couple of months to expand the committee’s reach into the public eye.

These social media pages, mainly Instagram and YouTube, will be the responsibility of OYEC members to control and develop as a group and a brand.

PLUS: OYEC is still recruiting!

Requirements:

  • Between the ages of 15-24 
  • Live in Ottawa
  • Enthusiastic, energetic & proactive
  • Able to participate by bringing new ideas, input, and fair decision-making to the table
  • Committed to attending 1-2 meetings a month for 1 year
  • A team player through fairness, integrity, and respect for others
Register here