Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement

The Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement operates under the
administrative leadership of the Students Commission, in partnership with
the:

• Brock University: Youth Lifestyle Choices - Community University Research Alliance in St. Catherines, Ontario.
• Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario/ YouthNet in Ottawa, Ontario, and throughout Canada with a national network.
• Environmental Youth Alliance in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, in Ottawa, Ontario and Moncton, New Brunswick.
• HeartWood Centre for Community Youth Development in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
• Integrated School Linked Services / Saskatoon Action Circle on Youth Sexuality in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
• Wilfrid Laurier University in Kitchener, Ontario.

These organizations make up the core group that provides direction to the work of the Centre.

Meaningful youth engagement is built on the recognition that every young person has something to contribute to the active betterment of Canadian society. Research has shown that youth who have been engaged and are active participants in society turn into adults with less health, career, family and societal traumas and distresses. Additionally, they are better able to handle those stresses and in turn to give back to society more effectively and generously.

The Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement focuses on effective strategies for engaging youth in meaningful participation in making decisions for healthy living. A unique feature of the Centre is its commitment to engage youth directly in planning, designing and implementing the Centre's activities in partnership with health and academic professionals. Young people are trained and supported to find, describe and build models of effective strategies for engaging youth as well as to help communities implement strategies at the local level. Not only does the Centre develop tools to evaluate, measure and demonstrate effective youth engagement, it has created an accessible clearinghouse for information on the issue. It is also a working model of youth engagement. The overarching goal is to support lasting youth empowerment as young people become confident in themselves and are able to make responsible choices for healthy living.

Other organizations and networks are contributing to the work of this Centre. These contributions are supplementing the funding provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.

For more information on the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement:

Stoney McCart
The Students Commission
23 Isabella St.
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 1M7
Tel: (416) 597-8297
Fax: (416) 597-0661
stoney@tgmag.ca

Important Notices