(Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Coming this spring

P.A. conference aims to elevate youth stories and voices

Mar 4, 2021 | 12:11 PM

Undeterred by the cancellation of their inaugural event last year due to the pandemic, organizers of the Voices of Our Youth (Weyawaw Oki Osakayak Pekiskwewina) conference are forging ahead with an online gathering this spring.

“We really wanted to go forward with this because we believe when the youth tell their stories it impacts the entire community,” co-chair Tricia Lucyshyn told paNOW.

Lucyshyn was part of a three person delegation who presented their updated vision for the conference to city council on Monday.

It will feature six to eight youth presenters. Local entrepreneur Cody Demerais will be one of the keynote speakers. Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Russ Merasty will offer opening remarks.

The presentation was well-received by council.

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“It’s so important to have the youth voice their knowledge…certainly the youth are our future,” Coun. Blake Edwards said. “But it’s equally as important to have people like yourselves guiding the youth.”

The conference hopes to bring together non-profits and other service providers working with young people to hear directly from them about their needs, interests and experiences.

“I think a big part of it is to bring the realization, we don’t do these things to the kids,” Lucyshyn said. “We should start doing things with the children and they need adult allies.”

Meanwhile her fellow co-chair, Kevin Mugford, said the move to online will allow material to be more widely shared, as recorded presentations can be replayed in schools throughout the year. It also means more people can participate, Victor Thunderchild, another of the conference’s organizers, explained.

“Remote communities who would normally probably send only about three or four representatives, can now have a larger number of people listening to us,” he said.

Organizers expect as many as 1,000 people could participate.

The Voices of Our Youth (Weyawaw Oki Osakayak Pekiskwewina) conference is scheduled for May 27.