More than 300 high school and post-secondary students from across Hamilton gathered on campus this month for the third annual HamOntYouth Summit, an event that puts students from lower, mountain and rural Hamilton at the centre of discussion about city issues.
This year marked the first time the event was held at McMaster University and students from the inaugural cohort of McMaster’s Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement joined the event.
“Today is an opportunity for you to fully engage with the issues that matter to you and matter to our city. Your voice matters and we’re here to listen to you,” said Ward 3 City Councillor Nrinder Nann, who was serving as Deputy Mayor for the day.
The summit is part of Hamilton’s Youth Strategy, a five-year plan for engaging youth in Hamilton.
Model City Hall sessions at the third HamOntYouth summit focused on issues like transportation and youth voter turnout.
The day started with Model City Hall sessions, where students discussed policy ideas for improving city issues.
City of Hamilton staff joined the workshops, taking notes on the issues being discussed, including how to connect youth to services, what drives youth downtown, youth and transit, and walk-in mental health services for youth.
“For someone who’s been in this career for 25 years, seeing that level of enthusiasm was really great,” said Shannah Evans, project manager of Election Education and Support at the City of Hamilton.
“There were so many great thoughts, reflections and experiences being shared.”
Model City Hall session facilitators included McMaster undergraduate students Kerry Yang from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Shriya Dave, from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Eugenie Kaberuka, a first-year Wilson College student, joined the “How to Get You(th) to Vote” discussion, sharing her own experiences about barriers to voting.
“It’s important for youth to come together and think of solutions to increase youth voter participation,” she said. “I’m happy to be part of a program that encourages students to get involved and think critically.”
One potential solution for youth participation is offline messaging, students said.
“Social media is important, but information about voting and candidates should also be available at malls, at schools, at recreation centres,” one student said. “Social media can be an echo chamber. It’s important to talk to people in person and across party lines.”
“This session really opened my eyes,” says Ysabella, a high school student.
“I realised that you don’t need to have all the answers to help. You just need to care and take the first step.
“I learned that there’s already so many different ways for youth to take that, whether it’s joining councils like HamOntYouth, attending meetings like this summit, or even just learning how local government works at school.”
She also attended the Community Services Fair, which helped expand her network and open the door to future opportunities.
“I’m very thankful for this summit, because I wouldn’t have taken those steps or even know that these opportunities existed,” she said.
“As a high school senior, I’d say this event will definitely be one of the most memorable days in my last year,” she added. “It’s inspired me to get more involved and attend more events like this before heading off to post-secondary.”
First-year Wilson College student Julia Edwards has been working for the City of Hamilton for three years.
Students also attended skill building workshops led by community partners at the RBC-sponsored event. HamOntYouth steering committee member and RBC branch manager Mariella Decle emphasized the need for organizations and events like the summit, that prepare youth to deal with a rapidly changing workforce.
For Julia Edwards, a first-year Wilson College student and a recreational assistant for the City of Hamilton, the summit combined her two worlds. Attending a Model City Hall session on getting youth involved in city programs, Edwards joined the discussion but was also taking notes to share with city staff.
“They were saying things that we hadn’t thought about,” Edwards said. “I also saw how incredible it was for every single kid there to feel heard.”
“I want to see that same result from the kids at the rec centre, so that when they come they have that feeling of empowerment, and feeling valued, and feeling heard.”
She also attended a skill session on using your voice, where students took turns giving short speeches and getting feedback.
“You don’t realize that your biggest power can be your voice,” she says.
“You can use your voice to convince people, to help people. If you learn how to use that tool correctly you can make such a big difference.”