CALGARY — Young Canadians are not yet ready to be society’s power brokers, but they want to have their voices heard by decision-makers, say teen 4-H members.
Andrea Soesbergen, a university student in Montreal, and Casey Morey of Rochester, Alta., say 4-H Canada gives them that chance as Youth Advisory Committee members sitting on the national rural youth group’s board.
“It’s a ‘we’ and not an ‘I’ for this generation,” Soesbergen said.
“The goal in the end is not to be the person at the top of the food chain making these decisions, but I want to be a part of a movement that creates the change.”
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She described her role on YAC as showing other youth the opportunities they can create for themselves and where they can have an impact.
“Just to help them make the change they are capable of,” she said.
Morey said YAC’s influence has already been seen on board committees and in staffing 4-H programs such as the recent citizenship congress in Ottawa. There, teen delegates had a 30 minute question and answer session with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We give a youth opinion about the different activities,” said Morey, who uses blogging and social media and personal contact to share information and receive feedback from members.
Soesbergen said youth have grown up with technology, can easily connect with others around the world and are watching and weighing in on global concerns.
“There should be a push to engage youth, that they are part of this conversation and we want to hear your opinion,” she said.
The pair said the 4-H board is clear about wanting their input.
“They take our opinion seriously because we have that youth perspective,” said Morey.
Soesbergen said the goal of 4-H is to provide engaging and fun programs for young people.
“So if youth are saying this is not going well, then if that’s not taken seriously, it kind of goes against the whole purpose of the organization,” she said.
Shannon Benner, 4-H Canada’s chief executive officer, cited several recent studies showing that young people see themselves as part of a social movement.
“What’s coming through loud and clear is Generation Z wants to be influencing. They’re a generation of social change,” she said.
“As a youth movement, we have to be role modelling that, that we are engaging young people with an authentic voice at every level.”
She said 4-H, as a global organization of seven million members and a strong emphasis on community service, is well placed to empower youth.
“103 years later, there’s still a great need for what we do,” she said.
Benner said that means giving young people a meaningful role on the board, citing YAC’s active participation in the change to the new 4-H cloverleaf logo and in directing strategic initiatives.
“We really are hearing what they are saying and they really are influencing our decisions,” she said. “It’s not giving them a token role that doesn’t have impact. They really feel they are contributing and steering the movement.”
YAC does not having voting rights on the board.
Federal legislation doesn’t allow 4-H to appoint youth members, so it invites them onto the board as observers to ensure they are represented, Benner said.
