COMMISSION
DE LA JEUNESSE D’OTTAWA
COMMISSION DE LA JEUNESSE D’OTTAWA YOUTH COMMISSION
Highlights from Annual
Report - June 2006-May 2007*
Image
“Youth are the makers
of society. We redefine it, create new
ideas, and recognize we are part of a mosaic; we are not jaded and should have
power!”
Youth
workshop participant 2006
“Youth
Culture…is about a struggle for attaining independence, and striving to obtain
a social life outside of one’s family circle.
It is based on societal trends, largely influenced by music,
contemporary social constructs, values, media and heavily directed by trends
put forth by popular celebrities.”
Youth
workshop participant 2006
*Contact
Keri Abella at CJOYC for a Full Copy of the Annual Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
61
RECOMMENDATIONS 62
Who
WE ARE
62
YOUTH
VOICE: KEY THEMES AND ISSUES FACING OTTAWA’S YOUTH
Key challenges
impact 69 Creation of a voice
within city hall
CREATION
OF A VOICE WITHIN CITY HALL 69
Gathered Youth Opinion and
Created Awareness 70 11 diversity of youth engaged
2006 limitations
NEXT
STEPS FOR THE CJOYC 72
Recommendations
The recommendations in this
report have been generated by CJOYC and are grounded in the experience of the
youth involved in the surveys, questionnaires, workshops, focus groups and the
Youth Conference. CJOYC would like to
start a dialogue at all levels of the community to act upon the information
provided in this annual report.
Specifically the Commission
would like the City of Ottawa:
To use
the information contained in this report in building city priorities and
strategic planning;
To
circulate this document within all city departments key agencies and relevant
community organizations as applicable with respect to youth issues;
To
recognize the role that CJOYC can play in engaging the youth voice in the
Children and Youth Agenda and other City initiatives; and
To have
City Councillors meet with members of CJOYC in order to listen to their
feedback, create stronger ties and foster greater communication about issues
and potential partnerships within individual wards.
Who We Are
In June of 2006 the City of
Ottawa approved the establishment of the Commission de la Jeunesse d’Commission
de la Jeunesse d’ Ottawa Youth Commission
(CJOYC). CJOYC aims
to provide youth with an effective medium through which their voice can be
heard regarding the affairs of the City of Ottawa.
CJOYC serves as a conduit between the young people of the
capital, Ottawa City Council, community leaders and the general public. Through focus groups, workshops,
consultations and surveys, the Commission is able to solicit and formulate the
views and opinions of young people in Ottawa.
Through media campaigns, updates to city council and regular reports,
CJOYC is able to ensure that this voice is heard.
CJOYC is comprised of twelve
young people who serve to raise the collective voice of younger aged
citizens. We are supported by Child and
Youth Friendly Ottawa and a group of adult mentors who guide the group in
making connections, brokering partnerships and raising awareness. The Commission discusses, debates and
advocates on any issues and all items that have a relationship to youth and the
CJOYC.
During its first year CJOYC conducted a series of youth
surveys through an array of individual questionnaires, focus groups, and
workshops. The format was designed to explore the many different issues
facing young people in Ottawa and to explore areas in need of change.
In November of 2006, CJOYC organized the first ever for
youth by youth conference in Ottawa called “See…Hear…Speak”. The purpose of this conference was to
further explore the views and opinions of young people and to reflect on the
capacity of youth to make a positive difference. It was a resounding success with over 250 participants.
The synthesized results[1]
of all this work follows and provides a look into young peoples lives and their
views on how youth can collectively make the City of Ottawa a better place to
grow, learn, play and interact. With
this report, the CJOYC hopes to share the information gathered from the past
year and project the voices of youth on a variety of different public policy
issues to local government, community leaders and the general public. It is the hope that this report is
informative, inspirational and encourages further and continuing connection to
young people taking notice and paying heed to what they have to say.
Youth Voice:
Key Themes and Issues
Facing Ottawa’s Youth
In order to better understand
the current reality facing young people in Ottawa today, youth were asked
questions relating to a variety of issues that affect their daily lives
including but not limited to drugs and alcohol, crime prevention, recreational
opportunities, transportation, the environment and community involvement. The
issues listed represent a consolidated effort to highlight important concerns
that youth face as well as their perspectives, perceptions and potential
solutions to these matters. The issues are as follows:
Key Challenges: Adolescence is a difficult time and
requires specific programs, attention and support to address the concerns
teenagers face daily. Youth listed the following as issues they encounter as
the most significant challenges they feel the majority of youth in Ottawa face:
N
Doing well in school (being creative and successful in all
subjects)
N
Drugs and alcohol, “cuz people always think if you do
drugs, you are cool”
N
Peer Pressure
N
Bullying
N
Social
Class – welfare, judgemental peers
N
Stereotypes
Key considerations:
N
Lack
of self-confidence in young people can lead to self-destructive behaviour.
N
Need for creation of programs for youth to ensure they are
aware of different opportunities where they can channel their energy and time,
build confidence and find positive role models, “Involve ourselves in the
development of these programs”, and “mentoring programs; peer to peer help”
Alcohol and Substance Abuse: Experimentation
with drugs and alcohol is common within the youth population of Ottawa.
Findings included:
N
Children
and youth have relatively easy access to drugs in Ottawa
N
71%
of the sample either tried drugs or had been around others who were using drugs
by the age of entering high school; 46% of these were under the age of thirteen
N
45%
of youth consulted said that their first contact with drugs was in school
N
50%
of the respondents spoke of peer pressure and ‘the need to fit in’ as being the
primary reasons why young people get involved with drugs
N
when asking youth about the three top drugs
used by young people between the ages 12-18, marijuana accounted for 90% of all
respondents, cocaine/crack and ecstasy were next with 63% each
Key
Considerations:
N Youth should be engaged (even if it means taking them out of school or adults meeting in the evening) and the involvement should not be ‘token’
N Funding substance abuse programs that have clearly demonstrated success is important. Funding programs that have been done a certain way for years without anyone asking young people if they have been helped, or if there have been measurable changes noted do not help the cause
N The coordination of an annual conference for professionals and youth is recommended
N It is critical that students are polled and surveyed on a regular basis and they are provided with information relating to the results and outcomes of these surveys
Negative
Image of Youth: Young people found
that many of the issues raised by adults in regards to youth issues are
overblown and create a negative impression of youth. It is felt that young
people are not treated as equal participants, not engaged properly with regard
to decisions that affect them leaving them unaware, undervalued and with the
desire to strengthen their voice in the decisions that affect their lives.
N
Older youth feel like they are not taken seriously and
their problems are not acknowledged
N
People
believe that your past predicts your future
N
Youth generally feel that they are treated with more
suspicion than most adults and treatment is often derived quickly based on how
they are dressed.
N
“Sometimes adults won’t listen; they just ignore”
N
“Some don’t think we are being serious; sometimes adults
are very encouraging and other times they dismiss what you are saying because
you’re just a kid”
N
“They always say, ‘oh, you’re just a kid. You don’t
realize how much it would cost to fix the problem.’ They listen but they don’t
really hear me. They think I have good ideas but aren’t impressed enough to do
anything”
Key Considerations
N
“Not all teenagers are dramatic, self destructive, self
centered people”
N
Adults and the community at large need to acknowledge and
embrace youth culture; it is not to be feared and avoided
N
Decisions about and regarding youth need to involve the
participation of youth
N
All discussions that CJOYC hosted with youth indicated a
need for a youth body to ensure better understanding and to engage youth within
the community, illustrating the need for the CJOYC mandate
N
Youth were asked about “youth culture” and this time in
their lives, in order to create a better understanding within the adult
population
N
In order to create better understanding within the adult
population about youth culture, youth need to be asked what this period of
their life means to them
N
Forty youth created the following definition of youth
culture as guidelines to be used by community stakeholders when approaching
youth programming and engagement:
“Youth are the makers of society.
We redefine it, create new ideas, and recognize we are part of a mosaic;
we are not jaded and should have power!”
“Youth
Culture…is about a struggle for attaining independence, and striving to obtain
a social life outside of one’s family circle.
It is based on societal trends, largely influenced by music,
contemporary social constructs, values, and media and heavily directed by
trends put forth by popular celebrities”
N
By creating a definition of what youth culture is CJOYC
hopes to build greater understanding between youth and adults
Media and Communication
Youth crime and safety are often directly
influenced by the examples that are set for them by television, movies, video
games and other media outlets. Youth participants cited:
N
A negative influence of media and a lack of appropriate
role models
N
Media
glamorization of criminals
N
Overexposure to alcohol, drugs, gangs and disrespect
N
Movies, video games and popular music can lead to the
degradation of women, sensitization to violence, and popularize the criminal
lifestyle
N
Lack of parental communication and discussion regarding
sensitive issues
While media outlets are popular tools for youth to define
and relay culture, youth also say they are often not aware of services,
activities and programs available to them and in their community. There is a
lack of communication between service providers, parents and youth who want to
participate in these programs.
Key considerations:
N
Youth feel that the first step to increase awareness is
throughout city schools and places where young people gather
N
Youth should be engaged in decisions regarding programs
and services that affect them, giving them opportunities for involvement and
empowerment in order to create positive and relevant opportunities for
themselves
N
Monthly
Rogers segments will provide an update on current programs, events and upcoming
activities endorsed by the CJOYC
Crime & Safety: Many youth noted that in general, Ottawa is a clean and safe city and
they feel comfortable in their homes and their communities. However, boredom
and a lack of appropriate activities can cause some to resort to drugs,
misconduct and crime. Youth believe constructive use of their time is a key
factor in promoting positive activities and opportunities.
N
Youth cited theft, harassment, drug dealing and usage,
underage drinking, driving while under the influence, rape, speeding and
intimidations as some of the criminal activities they have either witnessed or
heard of other youth they know engaging in
N
Youth mentioned that
smoking, sex, and stealing trends are happening in young people under the age
of twelve and stated low self confidence as playing a factor in youth making
these choices
N
Youth felt drug awareness in schools needs to be increased
with more relevant information. For example, guest speakers, police footage and
experience with drug raids etc…
N
Over crowding in the hallways at school leading to
inappropriate touching and physical assaults
N
Lack of healthy food choices in schools
Key Considerations
N
The best way, according to youth, to keep young people
from doing drugs are presentations with disturbing images, community
activities, sports and other activities to keep them occupied and prevent them
from getting too bored
N
Youth
recommended an amnesty program, similar to recent firearms programs, at local
schools where youth could bring in weapons or others criminal paraphernalia
that they may have come across or been pressured into taking
N
Youth wanted less apathy among their peers, increased
activism and advocacy
N
Crime Prevention Ottawa should work with community
organizations and youth when addressing youth safety in order to ensure
concerns are addressed
Transportation: Not all teens and young
adults have driver’s licences or access to a car. The bus, skateboards and bikes are the next available options for
youth. A significant number of the
youth who participated in our exploratory discussions listed transportation as
problematic, especially for youth in rural areas. They feel that money and
transportation are key factors in participation and lack of either one will
significantly limit their rates and levels of involvement.
N
It takes too long to get from certain areas of the city to
other parts of the city, which leads to youth being forced to stay at home or
to loiter in their neighbourhoods which tends to bring them into conflict with
the law
N
The
youth felt that the transit situation is on the road to improvement, with the
talks of the O-Train expansion, and the possibility of more routes running east
to west as well as north south
N
The levels of service for rural areas of Ottawa are far
below adequate
N
Of those who felt unsafe in Ottawa, many of them indicated
that OC Transpo bus stops were amongst those places where they felt least safe
N
“They are totally scamming us. I mean they put the price up to $2.60 a trip…who rides the bus
with a dime…so you over pay every time.
I know I always end up paying 3$ a time”
N
“Who wants to spend an hour on the bus to go to CHEO for
volunteering or Laserquest to play with your friends?”
Key Considerations
N
Lack of accessibility prevents young people from
participating in available programs and prevents them from new and positive
opportunities
N
There is a need for schools, community centres and other
local organizations to step up and offer programs and services that reflect and
cater to the needs of youth in the community
Recreation:
Young people are consistently reporting high
incidence of boredom, lack of accessibility to affordable recreational and
cultural opportunities and a gap in programming options that meet their needs.
N
Youth 12-18 are left to ‘fend for themselves’. City
programs are aimed at either younger or older people. For example, attendance
at musical events and festivals is limited due to drinking age
N
Youth
feel the City needs to look into activities that will positively influence
youth age 15-18, finding ways to increase their levels of activity such as
skate parks or reduced membership rates at City run facilities
Key considerations:
N
Youth
stressed the need for more diversified and better managed after school programs
to give them a feeling of involvement and positive engagement
N
Addressing
concerns of youth hanging out and the intimidation it brings
N
Youth
feel that the first step to increase awareness is throughout city schools and place
where young people gather
N
Youth
would like increased opportunities for leadership development, positive
challenges and social interaction
Awareness and Communication with the Community at large: Throughout the year it was found
that there is a lack of an effective communication to the youth population of
opportunities available within the city. It was cited by many youth
participants that this issue could in fact act as a solution to many of the
issues faced by youth.
N
Youth feel as though there is not enough
information presented in a youth for youth fashion
N
Youth feel as though the services and programs
available within the community are not utilized enough
N
Opportunities available within the community
are hard to discover
N
Access to services was sited as being seen as
uncool, or unhelpful in certain cases
Key Considerations:
N
There should be more youth conferences hosted
in high schools
N
There is a need for more youth advocacy to
raise awareness for programs and initiatives.
N
More programs in the city should utilize the
Expose (anti smoking coalition) format to engage a greater amount of youth
Environmentalism: Most
youth feel there is a sense of apathy in the general public with regards to
environmental initiatives, which is a barrier to positive environmental change
in Ottawa and society at large. There is also a lack of media consideration on
the subject leading to lack of proper discussion and attention. Youth today
have concerns about and responsibilities to the environment. They believe their
future lies in constructive environmental activism and participation and their
ideas are integral to a sustainable future.
N
Many
youth felt their parents and grandparents generation are apathetic because they
won’t see the rewards of changing their habits
N
“I’d much rather read about things like the Turbine
project at St. Joseph’s School than read about another robbery or traffic
accident but that’s what the news always has”
N
“It’s a shame that Ottawa has such a beautiful skating
resource like the canal but it’s a sign of the times that we can hardly use it
anymore due to the current weather. That is hurting our economy and the city’s
profile.”
Conclusions:
As a result of the focus groups and conferences
administered by CJOYC, a large demographic of youth has been reached and
inspired to get involved in their respective communities. Opinions were shared,
viewpoints imparted and information was collected with the hope of enhancing
the community’s response to critical youth issues. The concerns are not
restricted to the ones mentioned above but include a wide variety of important
and often contentious matters. Youth employment and lack of meaningful job
opportunities, especially in rural areas, are significant barriers to personal
development and increasing levels of responsibility. Inaccessibility to
relevant programs and services, whether from lack of money or transportation,
can decrease levels of participation and increase boredom, lack of concern,
interest and potentially increased levels of crime and misdemeanours.
It is CJOYC’s mandate to garner youth opinion in order to
move towards positive outcomes. Young people should be recognized as valuable
members of society and the future of strong communities. CJOYC believes it essential to understand
the issues facing youth and provide relevant programs and services to address
those concerns in order to create positive opportunities and thriving
communities for the future.
Impact
The central theme of CJOYC is to
amplify and provide City Councillors and City Hall staff with an effective
medium through with to channel youth voices and collaborate with young people
while at the same time providing youth with an effective means to channel their
voices to municipal council.
1. Creation of a Youth Voice
within City Hall
In its inaugural year CJOYC was
instrumental in the development of several key initiatives. Proof of the need and value of CJOYC is
demonstrated through the following points:
Through extensive surveys
administered by the Commission and presented to respective committees, the
CJOYC was able to provide the youth perspective on the issue of alcohol and
substance abuse. The Integrated Drug and Addictions Strategy is a program that
works as a community to address substance and alcohol abuse. The proposal was
presented to the Health Recreation and Social Services Committee with community
representatives stating the necessary requirements of an effective alcohol and
substance abuse program. CJOYC conducted a series of focus groups and surveys
in order to gather youth opinion on the issue. Findings were presented
alongside the proposal for the Integrated Drug and Addictions Strategy. The
program was found to be in keeping with the needs of local youth as well as
other community representatives. For this reason it was passed and has now been
implemented.
The Commission de la Jeunesse d’ Ottawa Youth
Commission solicited youth opinion on the newly established Crime Prevention
Ottawa’s strategic plan and provided insight into the issue of crime, as it is
relevant to youth. From this exercise CJOYC has ensured that Crime Prevention
Ottawa deal with this issue and facilitate the involvement of youth serving
organizations through their initiatives aimed at addressing youth crime.
The
initial work of CJOYC and the youth voice created the basis for preliminary
discussions on Community and Protective Service’s Children and Youth Agenda,
one of their 12 strategic initiatives. In partnership with United Way/Centraide
Ottawa, the Children and Youth Agenda are in the process of devising a policy
on how to best serve children and youth in Ottawa. The outcomes found from
CJOYC’s See…Hear…Speak… youth conference were used as a reference for community
members at the Children and Youth Agenda Community Forum. This has been used in
helping to advise the community about themes to be addressed in the creation of
a community vision and framework in delivering services for children and
youth.
Youth
Count Committee (formerly the POPCORN Network for Youth Serving Agencies) is a
collective group composed of community leaders in the area of child and youth
advocacy, support, education and service provision. It was requested that CJOYC
partner with Youth Count to create a one-day youth conference. This conference
acted as one of three conferences, which are being conducted in 2006-2007 in
order to carry out their mandate. The first was dedicated to gaining the
insight of youth service providers into the issues facing youth and problems
within the youth service arena. The second facilitated and planned with CJOYC
focused on gaining youth opinion about these issues. The third conference
scheduled in November 2007, will bring together both youth and youth service
providers to create guidelines as to how service providers in Ottawa can better
meet the need of their clients, the youth of Ottawa.
CHEO
Preparations are in place to
draft a full proposal for an adolescent health program at CHEO in September
2007. Plans are underway for members of CJOYC to be consulted as part of a
youth forum in order to understand how to best consult youth and their families
when collecting feedback and information for the proposed program. The
Commission will act as key members to help identify service gaps for the youth
of Ottawa including youth out of school, street youth, rural youth and will
serve on the Youth Advisory Committee. CHEO will incorporate CJOYC’s advice and
recommendations into its program proposal with the hopes of creating an
innovative program to help address the evolving needs of the adolescent
population.
2. Gathered Youth Opinion and
Created Awareness:
Through the conference, focus groups and regional
meetings, we have been able to outline the priorities and issues of youth. This information gathered will be used by
City Hall, as well as various community agencies and groups to enhance our
community’s response to youth issues.
Through our various initiatives we have been able to build our awareness
within the community to the point that many youth now know who we are as well
as various youth serving agencies.
3.
Diversity of Youth Engaged:
Through the programs the CJOYC has completed we
have managed to ensure that we reach a wide demographic of youth and inspire
them to get involved in their community. This was established through the use
of regional meetings which are a type of focus group where three committee
members go into a civics and careers class, explain the objectives of the
commission, split up into groups of three and poll youth opinion on three issues.
These have been conducted at Lisgar Collegiate and Ashbury College.
Additionally we conducted a series of focus groups in South Nepean relating to
Alcohol and Substance Abuse.
4. 2006 Highlights
Capacity Building
- Development of governance model and Constitution
- Meetings with Adult Mentors
- Expansion of CJOYC committee
- Approval and discussion of CJOYC’s initiatives
with CAYFO Board
Awareness
- Official Launch of CJOYC at Ottawa City Hall
covered by several media outlets
- Monthly Segment on Rogers television City Desk
with Ed hand
- “What If” segment on CTV
- Presentation to Ottawa Carleton District
School board wide Leadership Camp
- See…Hear…Speak Conference
Initiatives Conducted
- See…Hear…Speak Conference
Fourteen
Workshops- Thirty focus groups
- Five Questionnaires/Survey’s
- Layout for Website created
2006 Limitations
1) Funding:
A lack of resources existed for the Commission to execute its mandate. The
Commission was hoping to receive support in the form of additional grants and
donors but funding did not reach initial estimations.
2) Time
Management: Implementation of projects proved to be difficult as the committee
is made entirely of volunteers; each member has commitments to school and other
extra-curricular activities. This made sustainability of a solid structure of
governance and organization of special events difficult.
3) Balance
of Initiatives and Awareness: In its first year, the need to establish
awareness and credibility of the Commission was recognized. The Commission had
to focus on improving awareness among youth through the website and other
promotional initiatives such as the monthly segments on Roger’s City Desk.
Through a lack of resources and expertise, the website has yet to be available
to the public but is a priority for 2007.
4) Relationship
with City Hall: The Commission has to balance several objectives including
public relations, project implementation and specifically developing a strategy
for strengthening the youth voice in City Hall. The Commission feel they can
improve upon the relationship with municipal council and would like to meet
regularly with City Counsellors and relevant committees.
5) Transitions:
The 2006 municipal elections and the changes in leadership at CAYFO resulted in
some delays in moving the CJOYC initiative forward.
Next Steps for
CJOYC
CJOYC has submitted their 2007 funding application to the City of Ottawa’s Community Project Funding Program. This funding application is built on the premise that CJOYC is an essential component of a healthy community and vital to the success of the City staff and Councillors in its achievement. This year’s application reflects much learning and is intended to ensure continued growth and success. It is comprised of the following key elements:
- Increased
membership of university and high school aged youth;
- Continue
to ensure that a diversity of youth is engaged in CJOYC and its
activities;
- Strengthen
leadership development opportunities by introducing a Youth Ambassadors
program where less experienced youth learn and practice the necessary
leadership skills;
- Further
develop relationships with Councillors and staff;
- Continue
to strengthen ties with media outlets and key community stakeholders to
engage the widest variety of youth and strengthen the impact;
- Hire
one full time CJOYC support staff under the auspices of Child and Youth
Friendly Ottawa and supported by the City of Ottawa and other key
stakeholders;
- Develop
a sustainability plan that broadens CJOYC’s financial base;
- Host
a series of information gathering sessions that solicit input to create an
action plan to address the themes identified in this report; and
- Create
a citywide action plan in collaboration with the City of Ottawa and United
Way’s Children and Youth Agenda project team.