Back to the future

Surrounded by youthful County residents, Mayor Robert Quaiff listens to proposed solutions to problems those youth face at the Future Forum in Picton on Monday.

Forum gives young people a voice

It’s not easy being young in Prince Edward County, according to a group of people between the ages of about 15 and 35 who participated in the Future Forum in the Lipson Room above Books & Company on Monday night.

Separated from community leaders, service providers and others over the age of 35, the young people in attendance were asked to brainstorm solutions for issues ranging from education and employment to housing and transportation, bringing back proposals on those issues they felt most passionate about.

The forum was organized by some of the younger people who ran for council in 2014—Picton councillor Lenny Epstein, along with former candidates Stephanie Bell and Rachael Tracey. They were joined by the Recreation Outreach Centre’s Hillary Fennell, youth pastor Sami Lester and Sarah Williams from the Prince Edward Learning Centre. Almost all the organizers fit into the age range they were targeting.

Bell says young people suffer from a lack of programs and policies because they don’t have a voice in the community.

“The idea came from all of us thinking that we should have young people actually involved in their own issues and in local issues on a more regular basis, because I think they’re really marginalized,” says Bell. “Why would they want to be actively involved? There’s no reason for them to [be], so they don’t actively seek it out. It’s not because they don’t want to or they’re not interested, it just doesn’t seem like something that matters, because it’s not in their domain.”

She’s concerned that a generational culture clash has kept young people so separate from the rest of the community, it’s impossible for them to begin to know how to affect change.

“It’s like ghettoizing of youth. Because we so isolate them from adult issues and adult problems that they don’t really know what, in their own backyard, really matters. Because it’s in the paper and it might be on the Internet a little bit, but if it doesn’t show up on their Facebook feed or on twitter or on Snapchat, they’re not going to know about it,” says Bell.

The Future Forum was advertised to anyone in the County, but active participation was encouraged from young people. The format was designed for finding solutions rather than discussing problems at length.

“I think action is the most important thing for me,” says Bell. “I can’t say what their interests are, but for me, it’s to get them to be active in the community as opposed to just ‘let’s hit these issues over the head by talking about them for hours and hours’. Because ranting is good for a little bit, but then you need to actually go and do something because otherwise, you’re just … all talk and no action.”

Mayor Robert Quaiff, who sat in on the forum, concurred. He said that for council, listening was a start,but taking action is even more important.

Hilary Foster responds to a particularly unusual solution to transportation issues suggested by a participant of the Future Forum on Monday.

“Not just say that we’ve listened tonight and done nothing. It’s the worst thing ever. It’s like hiring a consultant to do a survey study for you and you get the information and the recommendations and you put it on the shelf and walk away from it,” quipped Quaiff.

Epstein led a discussion with the older adults in the room, discussing ways for them to connect with the youth, as the other organizers led youth to six booths, where they were asked to discuss issues of housing, transportation, the environment, employment and education, and youth spaces and entertainment, along with one booth open for other issues to be discussed.

Following that, young people were invited to revisit the booth they were most passionate about and prepare a proposal for a solution to that issue.

There were prizes to be won, including the chance to be mayor for a day, which was awarded to 13-year-old Holli Claxton of Picton.

Twenty-one-year-old Sam Kuipers, who just returned to the County after earning a theatre degree from Queen’s University, thinks the forum is an important opportunity.

“The biggest thing for my age is we’re starting to see jobs come back from the baby boomer generation,” says Kuipers. “So exciting that there’s not just work that’s coming, but there’s also social [activites]—there’s sports, there’s theatre, there’s all these different areas that are starting to open up for us again. So discussing these opportunities and starting to advertise some more and make them more attainable is always more interesting, and we have to get out and talk about that.”

She was humbled learning about the issues her fellow youth participants were experiencing. Seeing herself as a role model and someone who is relatively advantaged, she learned what others needed help with. She also appreciated the opportunity to talk with older members of the community who were invited to discuss issues with the youth once some ideas had been proposed.

“I think people are getting creative. They’re just saying, well, maybe there could be better tenants for the houses, and then maybe the housing will stay better quality. So then it gets passed back to the youth to say, if you’re responsible then we can give you a better house,” says Kuipers. “It’s interesting having all different perspectives.”

No one is certain of the next step. Bell would like to see the young participants begin to bring those proposals to fruition. Quaiff and Epstein will discuss what they learned and bring the information to the County’s council.

“[The youth] have already really surprised me by how many things they already know that are issues. I’m more focused on them actually taking action. I’m really interested in seeing what their creative minds are capable of thinking up as solutions, as opposed to just only going to council, or only using the regular channels,” says Bell. “Maybe young people will be better at being creative and thinking outside the box.”