In an effort to learn what social and safety issues Canadian youth are concerned about, each year the RCMP creates a National Youth Advisory Committee.
Tessa Duc(duke), a Senior Youth Outreach Officer, says the group will meet virtually to discuss topics such as cyber bulling, substance use, and transportation safety, with mental health, online safety, and reconciliation becoming more prevalent in recent years.
Duc says they are searching for a diverse team of up to 125 youths ages 13-21.
“We’re trying to make sure we have a fair amount of people from every province, from every division, from different minority groups, from underprivileged groups, from diverse groups of all sorts. These are big things that we look at when we’re looking through the applications.”
They are also searching for people who are knowledgeable about youth issues in Canada, and people who are passionate about making a difference in the country and within the RCMP.
She adds that ‘group think’ does not exist at NYAC meetings, and she welcomes opposing viewpoints.
“I love it when people challenge things that I bring forward to them. That’s why we created this committee in the first place, is to have people that have opposing views and all of these different perspectives and experiences that they bring to the table.”
At the end of the program in June, recommendations brought forward during virtual group discussions are often taken into consideration when creating new resources, policies and programs.
“Check our out Centre for Youth Crime Prevention site. We have a bunch of posters, brochures, lesson plans, presentations, and all of those resources have that youth lens on it from our committees.”
Duc says applicants don’t have to be interested in a career in policing to apply for the committee, as it provides beneficial experience in being a part of a national committee.
Application details can be found on the RCMP website.
“There’s an email address on there. Send us an email, let us know if you’re a youth, what province or territory you’re from, and we will send you an application package.”
