Unite and Ignite: Town Youth Participation Strategies

Written by Erin Mulvihill on 14/04/10

Photo by Obo-Bobolina on Flickr

In mid-March, a co-worker and I attended the Unite and Ignite themed TYPS (Town Youth Participation Strategies) Conference in Ottawa, Ontario. Every year, TYPS brings together youth and adult allies from youth centers across Canada to participate in a four-day workshop to address issues of importance to youth such as mental health, the environment, child’s rights, healthy lifestyles, youth homelessness and crime prevention. This year, they teamed up with the Students Commission and used the Young Decision Makers model to create recommendations on these topics that will be presented to the government, police organizations, provincial/municipal/territorial groups and anyone else TYPS encounters. What makes these recommendations unique is that they were created by over 300 youth and adult allies from across the country!

Now I must admit, I had been warned that this conference would be quite the experience. But I was in no way prepared for what I experienced over those four days! From ‘dexterity checks’ (a series of clapping, arm actions and a big grunt one must do when someone yells “dexterity check”) to great icebreakers and activities, I left there exhausted on Sunday with new friends and a huge sense of appreciation for youth centers and just how much they are doing for youth across Canada. TYPS united youth from the Yukon to PEI and ignited a spark in both the youth and adults present to make a positive change in their communities. Check out the TYPS website for more information, or search “TYPS” on Facebook!

Let us know what your youth center is doing to make your community more positive and crime-free!

Links

The Center of Excellence for Youth Engagement
DEAL.org blog – Town Youth Participation Strategies (TYPS): social networking for youth centers!