The Latest

Can you hear my snowflake voice?

The following speaks to why I feel it’s important to involve youth in the process of making anything for youth and how there is a gap in creating a space for that to happen.

If you are not me, how can you know what I want or need?

I have found the meaningfulness of being asked the simple question of trying to know what I want or what I need to be diluted as the target audience shifts from me to we. Too often have I felt my own voice get watered down amongst the masses. Sometimes to the point where I am no longer motivated in participating in such efforts to include my two cents in a census.

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Highlights from the first CBYF National Gathering

On March 10 to 12, representatives from communities across Canada came together in Kitchener-Waterloo for the first Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) National Gathering. Take a look at the map below to see the 13 communities involved in the CBYF initiative:  

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Launching the Community Innovation Fund

While innovation may be a familiar term, community innovation situates local stakeholders at the heart of new and exciting endeavours with results that could range from yielding great benefits for the community, to failing spectacularly and gaining valuable insights. We encourage communities to take the risk. 

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With NOT For

Youth engagement is a challenge for many communities across Canada, and it is a key determinant in the success or failure of any youth program. In my home community, the situation is no different. The Kahnawake Collective Impact (KCI) began its journey within the small Mohawk community a little over 5 years ago, along with the help of the Tamarack Institute. In that time, we have developed an autonomous ‘organization’ with multiple working groups and a steering committee at its core.  

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Launching Communities Building Youth Futures

Our team at Tamarack has been looking forward to June for so many reasons - one of which is the official launch of the Communities Building Youth Futures Initiative (CBYF).

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Empowering Youth During a Pandemic

We are living in complex times, and now more than ever we need to focus on relationships. With COVID-19, our work doesn't just change, it becomes more important. We need to build in time and space for people to explore and engage in conversations which allow them to feel socially and emotionally supported. 

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