Onion Lake Cree Nation youth take part in Pink Shirt day. The pink shirt symbolizes kindness and a lack of tolerance for bullying. (submitted photo/Laili Yazdani)

By Nicole Reis

YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

RCMP calling Sask youth to join the province’s first Youth Advisory Committee

Jul 20, 2020 | 2:20 PM

Saskatchewan RCMP is launching its first provincial Youth Advisory Committee dedicated toward engaging youth in Saskatchewan.

Laili Yazdani, Community Program Officer (CPO) with Crime Reduction and Crime Prevention Unit at F Division, said the RCMP collected over 3,750 responses from its 2019 survey. Nearly 70 per cent of survey respondents said they were interested in having positive interactions with RCMP members.

“We are looking to engage a total of 100 youth by piloting nine detachment committees and recruiting an additional 10 youth from across the province,” Yazdani told meadowlakeNOW. “It’s about working with youth to see what’s important to them and working with them to implement effective strategies and different projects to engage with their peers and other youth across the province.”

While the program is in development around pandemic precautions, Yazdani explained the program is looking to directly engage youth with community detachment members. Young people can also expect to promote events such as Pink Shirt Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Pride Month and Suicide Prevention Day, to name a few. The program will also look at ways to engage youth virtually though confirmed details are expected to develop in the coming days.

“This is one component of our youth strategy in the province and a nice complement to gang strategy so we really trying to do things differently and seeing what works for them,” she said. “This will also be a good learning opportunity as well to see what’s worked well and what we could change for the next year.”

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Requirements

Youth aged 12 to 17 who have an interest in working with RCMP and want to create youth–led crime prevention initiatives which may differ depending on interests and experiences in respective communities.

The program asks for a minimum commitment of six hours a month to volunteer in this initiative for the course of the school year. At the end of the year, participants will be given a certificate which could be used for employment opportunities or to advance post-secondary education.

By participating in this program, youth are able to help shape RCMP youth strategies and programs. They can interact with youth from across the province, exchange views and develop critical thinking skills, hear from RCMP officers and experts and access opportunities to get involved with local groups and organizations.

While the program has recently launched, the RCMP are accepting applications to this program until August 10. To request materials, send an email to RCMP.FCommunityServices-FServicescommunautaires.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

The National Youth Advisory Committee is also accepting applications now until July 31. Additional information can be found here.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

@nicolereis7722