Give youth a say on issues they’ll soon own By: Editorial Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/08/2022 (751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers who are 16 years old can legally drive, hold a job, pay taxes, have consensual sex and be held criminally responsible for their actions. But should they want to serve their city on a municipal committee, they are sent away and told to come back when they’re at least 18 years old.

The minimum-age requirement to volunteer on the City of Winnipeg’s boards and committees seems arbitrary and teeters toward ageism. Serious consideration should be given to a motion asking city council to remove the age limit, a proposal which Coun. Shawn Nason (Transcona) is scheduled to introduce at this week’s meeting of the East Kildonan-Transcona community committee.

In actuality, even if the doors are opened to them, it’s unlikely there will be around-the-block lines of teenagers eager to volunteer their time to serve on municipal committees. While the work of of municipal committees is vitally important, it doesn’t exactly promise excitement or entertainment. The adult-dominated world of government committees has a reputation for being dullsville, rife with long-winded presentations and required reading of reports that are thick with bureaucratic jargon.

That should be a fair warning to two Winnipeggers who are less than 18 years old and have publicly stated their desire to join civic committees, prompting Mr. Nason to take their case. His motion would remove the age minimum entirely, beginning in 2024, for all city boards and commissions that aren’t subject to provincial or federal age requirements.

If Winnipeg is fortunate enough to have youth who care about civic engagement, it would be unwise to dampen such early signs of leadership and community involvement. The city should welcome their willingness to serve.

The desire of teenagers to participate in Winnipeg’s government process might seem at odds with recent Elections Canada data that show a declining participation among young adult voters, but Winnipeg has seen clear evidence that young people will rise up when the issues are important to them.

At local rallies that attracted thousands on issues such as Black Lives Matter, defunding police and Every Child Matters, the age demographic skewed young, with many in attendance appearing to be of high school age.

At local rallies that attracted thousands on issues such as Black Lives Matter, defunding police and Every Child Matters, the age demographic skewed young, with many in attendance appearing to be of high school age.

If city council agrees to drop the age limit to serve on committees — as it should — notification should be sent to school social-justice clubs and organizations such as Youth Parliament of Manitoba that already attract policy-minded youth. Go to places where youth are already engaged, and invite them to the tables of municipal committees.

Importantly, the elimination of the age limit wouldn’t automatically give a board seat to teenagers who are ill-prepared on the issues, frivolous or intent solely on disrupting the system. Under Mr. Nason’s motion, each potential board member’s application would continue to be assessed on merit, regardless of the applicant’s age. Teens would get equal opportunity, but not exemption from the work and decorum expected of all committee members.

As this city’s next generation, perceptive teenagers understand their futures in Winnipeg will be directly shaped by the decisions of the adults who are currently in charge. It’s the youth who will inherit the consequences of today’s decisions regarding how to deal with the environmental disgrace of untreated sewage flowing into rivers, how Winnipeg should prepare for the transformative climate change that now seems inevitable and how social policy must change to lessen the racism and poverty that undergrids so many problems in this city.

It’s blind at best, and cold-hearted at worst, for adults to tell youth they’re too young to have a say on issues they will eventually own.