Today's Youth, Tomorrow's Leaders
The Scarborough Youth Council (SYC) is a collaboration of diverse youth aged 14 to 24 who address various youth-related political and social issues. It is an organization which came out of an effort by the former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto in June 1993. Today the Council operates as an independent organization, comprised of youth leaders from the former City of Scarborough.
The SYC serves the population of Scarborough by empowering youth to make a positive difference in the lives of others. By working together with community leaders and fostering partnerships among youth organizations, the SYC is dedicated to providing youth with a forum to contribute to the development of solutions for a better tomorrow.
The SYC strives to develop good leadership skills among its membership. New members are always welcomed and are encouraged to have their input at meetings. By attracting a diverse range of youth, we can ensure that youth from across Scarborough are heard and that youth issues are addressed effectively.
[
view less ]
The Mandate
Serve to empower young people to strive for positive change through meaningful dialogue and effective action plans.
Council feels that the views of today's youth are paramount in defining the future of our society and it is essential that young people take the initiative to get involved and make a difference.
Increase involvement of youth in all aspects of development, implementation, and evaluation of services delivered across Scarborough.
Assist with the organizing and maintenance of Scarborough youth activities and to link common ideas, goals, and opportunities.
Provide youth with the tools, which will enable them to participate meaningfully in the development of public policy.
Take an active role against oppression and discrimination on the basis of age, sex, class, different abilities (mental, psychological, and physical), education, ethnicity, language, lifestyle, religion, sexual orientation, or spirituality.
The fundamental element of the SYC is the commitment to the "youth for youth" principle. We are working together to help each other as youth.
Ongoing Challenges and Goals
*Opportunities for youth expression and cooperation
*Youth empowerment
*Mobilizing youth to achieve larger goals
*Taking an active role against discrimination and oppression
*Providing skills for youth to contribute to their communities
*Organizing events to increase awareness of issues and to provide an open forum for discussion
*Collective approach; working with other organizations and groups
*Linking with the community to improve programs for youth
*Improving focus on Scarborough
*Financial resources needed to maintain staff and project needs
*Ensuring that projects are meaningful to youth, who are -- by definition -- at a transitional stage, while building long-term leadership skills
Participation in SYC meetings is a difficult commitment to maintain in the face of school, work, social lives, and family commitments. Continuity of involvement is an ongoing challenge. To further build on the Council's ability to influence public policy, we need to develop the means and internal capacity. We should identify, train, and most importantly, sustain a pool of young people who can think critically and develop strategic actions, projects around the events, and issues which continue to shape their lives and their communities.
[
view less ]
Hem
Bläddrandetillgångar
Mission/vision 
