It’s an exciting time for youth, with more jobs to fill than people available and a world of opportunities waiting at their doorstep, said Saskatchewan Youth summit co-ordinator Sarah Cameron.
The challenge of the two-day conference was to find ways to make Saskatchewan competitive with the rest of the world.
It brought together youth from various backgrounds with those in business and government to talk about what kinds of communities youth want, what they want the province to look like in 20 years and what kinds of jobs and services they want.
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“It’s about creating shared visions and all feeling responsible for making change,” said Cameron.
“It’s not one sector’s responsibility but everyone’s responsibility.”
Keleah Herron of the Southwest Regional Economic Development Authority said youth have to collaborate with a host of others from government and colleges to business and industry.
“It cannot just be government; others have a role.”
She said the summit offered youth a chance to have a voice on issues that matter to them and talk directly with those in attendance who are shaping government policy.
“We often talk about what youth want but we don’t ask them.”
She believes part of the learning included recognizing that policy making has many challenges. Policy must fit everyone, she added.
“It showed how difficult it is for policy makers to look at one aspect as we are so interconnected.”
A complete list of recommendations from the summit will be released to the public in coming months.
