As a member of the Holy Trinity Catholic High School senate, Syreeika Pryce has developed an idea of what can be accomplished by becoming involved in a community.
So when the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury launched a youth advisory committee, she jumped on the opportunity.
“I wanted to be more involved in the community and I thought it would be really good for me,” says the 15-year-old Grade 10 student. “I also want to advocate for the youth of Bradford.”
Pryce was one of the five people selected, out of 15 who applied, to be part of the newly developed committee.
Mayor James Leduc has great hopes for the committee, not just for what it achieves, but also for what it represents.
The current town council consists of younger members who draw from their experiences as active youth, recognizing the value of their community involvement. So while the goal is to ensure the youth of Bradford have a representative vote at the table, the committee can represent so much more.
“They thought that youth should be part of the process,” Leduc said. “As we get older, we forget about some of the wonderful things we did as kids.
“It’s great to hear their ideas and concepts on what they see our community looking like in the future.”
The committee had its inaugural meeting at the end of November. And when it came to asking for candidates for chair, four of the five put up their hands.
The youngest member, a Grade 8 Fred C. Cook Public School student, won the position after making a presentation.
“I always believed the best investment we could ever make is in our youth,” says Coun. Cheraldean Duhaney, who was key in the committee's development.
As a parent, she believes everyone in the community can step up and do something about fear of failure, low self-esteem, bullying and other challenges faced by young people.
Duhaney introduced a motion for the committee back in April which was supported by council. She was overwhelmed with the response from the young people in the community who expressed interest in taking on a leadership role.
Although there were only five spots on the committee, she encourages others with interest to attend the meetings.
With the town anticipating expansion from its current population of 48.000 to 85,000 by 2051, Leduc says he’s looking to hear what the committee members envision for their community and neighbourhoods.
And with a new civic centre in the development stage, committee members will have the opportunity to provide their ideas and suggestions prior to its final design.
“We’re looking to them to give us ideas on what we think youth would want,” he says. “We’re just excited to hear from them.
“They seem to be outgoing and outspoken.”
As they continue meeting, the committee’s members will determine, with the guidance of the mayor and town councillor, what areas and issues they’ll focus on.
As for Pryce, she’d like to see attention given to some of the areas she feels are of a concern. She’d like to see easier access to work that she thinks might be accomplished through job fairs.
She’s also concerned about vaping and use of drugs in high school and would like to see initiatives to curb access.
