MAYOR’S YOUTH COUNCIL

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

In existence since 1992, the Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) is a program of Youth Central Society, which works in collaboration with The City of Calgary to represent the voice of Calgary’s youth. The Mayor’s Youth Council provides youth an opportunity to effect change, represent youth in regards to issues that matter to them, and help to create a city where the unique youth perspective contributes to a strong and sustainable community.

HOW IT WORKS

The Mayor’s Youth Council is a committee of 21 youth between the ages of 12-18. The committee is divided into three sub-committees, that meet once a week. Every year of the Mayor’s Youth Council is different, as the events and projects are up to the committee to decide. In the past, committees have hosted events, conducted surveys, written reports and organized contests that shed light on youth issues in Calgary. Recruitment takes place in August/September of each year.

Recruitment for the Mayor’s Youth Council for the 2023-2024 program year is closed.

Mayor Nenshi at our Youth Town Hall at Nelson Mandela High School

CALGARY’S MAYOR’S YOUTH COUNCIL REPORT 2022-2023

Each year we complete a report to the community, so you can find out what the Mayor’s Youth Council worked on this year. Check out our 2022-2023 report.

ALBERTA YOUTH COUNCIL REPORT

Many municipalities in Alberta have youth councils and we have created a report to showcase the great work that they are doing. This information was compiled based on information from Youth Council websites. If you would like to change or add information to your listing, please contact Youth Central.

ART OF AWARENESS CONTEST

Art of Awareness is a contest aimed to provide youth (ages 12-18) or still attending high school, in Calgary with an opportunity to share their thoughts on issues that youth in the city face. This can be done through a variety of mediums. We want youth to share the challenges they feel need to be brought to attention and addressed.

The 2023 recipients have been chosen, stay tuned to see their work displayed at Southland Leisure Centre.

FREE. PERIOD. PROJECT YOUTH ART CONTEST

The Free. Period. Project Art contest is hosted by Youth Central with support from the City of Calgary and the Calgary Public Library.

Through the Free. Period. Project free pads and tampons are available in select City and Library facilities to improve access to period products. Not having access to period products can affect the participation, concentration, confidence, and performance of menstruating Calgarians in the classroom, in the workplace and in everyday life.

As part of this project, we asked youth ages 12-18 or still in high school, to design artwork to be wrapped onto the dispensers in City of Calgary and Calgary Public Library facilities. See the winning pieces of artwork and find out more here.

YOUTH HACKATHON

In 2019 we hosted a Virtual Innovation Challenge, all done online. Congratulations to Affinity, the winners of our 2019 Virtual Innovation Challenge! The winning pitch from Affinity, our 2019 Virtual Innovation Challenge can be found here.

In 2021 we hosted another Virtual Hackathon, organized by the Current Issues Committee of the Mayor’s Youth Council. Congratulations to 5-D Penta, the 1st place winners of our 2021 Virtual Hackathon. The winning pitch from 5-D Penta can be found here.

The Hackathon is an opportunity for students aged 12-18 to collaborate in groups of 2 – 7 to come up with innovative solutions to issues facing Calgarians. Participants must incorporate technological elements by creating products such as websites or apps and presenting their final projects to a panel of judges composed of industry professionals.