Youth discuss ways to narrow the gap between generations

by Ethan Paquet

Recently, the Atlantic Summer Institute on Healthy and Safe Communities held its ASI 2023 Atlantic Policy Forum, where the theme was Inspiring Hope through Community Action. The event featured a variety of speakers who discussed how community action and collaboration between generations can lead to a better future.

A panel featuring five young people from the Maritimes discussed topics such as the inclusion and engagement of youth, overcoming stigma and barriers, and advice for youth as they become involved in their community or enter the workforce.

“I have worked with young people for the last 25 years, and in my experience, they have been silenced,” says Linda Liebenberg, Director, Everfair Research and Evaluation, who introduced the panel. “They are seen as undeveloped and aren’t taken seriously, which is such a loss. They have so much wisdom, insight, knowledge, and creativity to offer.”

Linda encourages youth to develop confidence in themselves. “Let’s face it, we never stop making mistakes. Young adults feel that they don’t always know what they are doing, but I want them to know that older adults don’t always know what they’re doing, either.”

The youth panel

Omar Morad is President of the Union of Youth Newcomers in Saint John, New Brunswick. He was inspired to create the organization to help young newcomers overcome some of the same barriers he encountered when he moved to Canada in 2018 from Palestine.

“During my first three months of living in Canada, I wanted to go back home,” he says. “I didn’t know the culture, couldn’t make friends, was too old to go back to high school, and couldn’t get into college or university because I couldn’t really speak English. I didn’t think I would ever make it in this country.”

Desperate to develop his language skills and build a foundation, he began looking for supports in his community. “I found no services that could help people like me. So, I spent most of my days sitting in coffee shops and watching people so that I could learn how they talked.”

During this time, he learned about Skills Launch, a 10-month workplace experience program that helps newcomers develop vital employment skills and connects them to local employers.

“That program helped me find a job as an Administrative Assistant with the City of Saint John. It was the right place for me to work, because I learned about Canada, developed the language skills I needed, and made friends.”

When he told his co-workers about his journey and his goal to create a resource for newcomer youth, they supported him in putting a plan in action.

“I wanted to create something that could help youth ages 16 to 30 become active, creative, and find employment and positive action,” he says. “The city helped me develop the service, and I launched it within my first year of living in Canada. It now has 55 members. The city also helped me advance my career into other jobs where I could learn about youth.”

Omar says the key to including and engaging youth is to give them space to grow. “Most older people may think that youth make a lot of mistakes. That is true, but they learn from those mistakes. It is important to be allowed to make mistakes so you can learn to find solutions.”

He says while youth face discrimination and exclusion, immigrant youth struggle even more. “They aren’t used to Canadian culture and are confused about what they should be doing and how to be heard. Between school and home, they are living two different cultures.

“Those who are too old to go back to school to learn English have a harder time finding support and making friends. Youth ages 20 to 30 may find it harder to socialize with others, but it is even harder for newcomer youth.”

His advice to immigrant youth struggling to fit in is to focus on networking. “Try to keep your network big, because you don’t know who you will meet that can help you get to where you want to go. Ask the people you meet to help you or teach you what you need to know.”

Allison Seward is the VolunTeens Coordinator for The SPLASH Centre, a program in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador that provides mental health and recreational programming to children and youth. Growing up in a small town, she says community work has always been her passion.

“I have always loved helping others, and from a young age I also loved taking care of children. When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to get on a career path where I could help individuals every day.”

She enrolled in the Community Leadership Development program at the College of the North Atlantic, where she also became involved with student council, starting as a secretary and becoming president in her senior year.

During that time, she experienced the power of community firsthand when she tackled a problem affecting students, she says. “My friend and I both saw that there was a need for students to have access to free menstruation products.”

Spreading awareness of the issue got people talking, and soon a local organization reached out with a solution. “We found someone who listened to us, believed in us, and was able to provide us with a donation. To this day, they still help supply free menstruation supplies in the school bathrooms.”

After graduating in 2022, she joined The SPLASH Centre in a temporary role as Arts and Crafts Coordinator. When she was offered the full-time role she is in now, she knew she had to stay, she says.

“I remember coming out of college and feeling I didn’t know where I belonged. The team I work with made me feel included and that I have an important voice that is both heard and supported.”

As a youth working with children and youth, Allison says she understands the importance of gaining the trust of younger generations. “I like to use my own experiences to try and help them, and that’s important because once a youth trusts you, they feel comfortable to come to you with ideas and questions.”

Older generations working with youth need to avoid making assumptions too soon, she says. “I think a lot of older people just brush youth off and say they don’t care about issues or that they are lazy. But if they’d take the time to look, they will see that young people are empowered and inspired in a different way.”

Her advice to youth who are looking to become involved in their community is to find people to support them. “If there is something you want to accomplish, don’t give up, because there is somebody out there who also wants to accomplish it and who can support you. If nobody else is talking about it, be the person to put the idea out there.”

Hannah Crouse is a Research Assistant for Imagining Futures Research and is completing her Master’s degree in Sociology at Dalhousie University. She has taken part in various research projects about emancipatory potential for gay-straight alliances in rural schools and opportunities for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth to radically reimagine their social worlds. Through her extracurricular work, she has advocated for marginalized groups among youth such as 2SLGBTQIA+ community, those living in rural areas, and those living in poverty.

Her interest in youth advocacy began early on but was not something she considered a career path until an unexpected challenge came her way, she says.

“I was supposed to work as the Loewen Health Intern at a health centre in a rural community. Suddenly, they called me and said that due to the onset of COVID-19, everything they had planned couldn’t happen anymore, and I wouldn’t be able to work directly with the patients, as I’d hoped.”

She was told she could either continue with the internship with a new plan or find another opportunity elsewhere. Knowing she needed the income, and determined to turn the situation around, she continued with the internship and soon found her focus, she says.

“Conveniently, the health centre was connected to the only school in that community. I was able to connect with the students to discuss what resources they needed, and to meet with the community stakeholders to put a plan into action. Having that opportunity allowed me to work with youth in the way I always wanted to while being paid to do it.” This internship allowed her to found an initiative called Community Connect, which has received over $30,000 in funding.

Hannah says that while youth are often invited to important discussions, they often go unheard. “We need to avoid having youth and other diverse groups present just for the sake of checking it off a list. Instead, we need to welcome them and give them a chance to speak.”

She says while youth in a workplace can learn from older staff, it is important to give them room to develop and find their own interests. “Young people are often seen as a personal project. People think that they need to be steered in the right direction or told what to do and how to do it, but that is only limiting them. When you limit what you allow youth to say or do, you’re limiting what your organization can do.”

Her advice to youth entering the workforce or getting involved in community is to learn to advocate for themselves. “Stand firm. You do not owe anybody your time or money. Do the things you want to do for yourself. Surround yourself with people who have the same goals, values, and aspirations as you.”

Misty Dyson-Rumbolt is Program Coordinator for the Mokami Status of Women Council in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. Her passion for community work began with frustrations about a previous job, she says.

“Last year, I was in a job where there were 10 people in my department. Of the four people in my shared role, I was the only person under the age of 60, who was a woman, and who was Indigenous. My voice often went unheard. Then, I was informed that my position was eliminated due to budget cuts, and I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

Inspired to help others like herself, she found her current job, which she says is her true calling. “In this job, I am supported and encouraged. I have been able to learn what people like me need from their community. I also get to talk with youth about their needs and what support is available to them.”

Speaking from her own experience, Misty says young people are often dismissed by those who are older. “I hear often that youth haven’t been around long enough to understand the real world, and that they don’t have the knowledge or wisdom of those older than us. But youth are the future, so instead of ignoring them, people need to think about how to give them a safer space to grow where they won’t be put down about their lack of experience.”

Her advice to employers and those working with youth is to focus on maintaining a strong relationship. “Don’t just bring them in for the planning and then say you got their input. Be consistent in relationship building.

“Boundaries and a human approach are important. What I love about my job is that my boss recognizes when we are dealing with too much before it leads to burnout. You can’t expect someone to pour from an empty cup.”

She encourages youth to speak up when given the chance. “Don’t back down. If you want to have a seat at the table, you have to fight for that seat, and when you are at the table, make sure you use your voice, because you deserve to be heard.”