Prime Minister's Youth Council seeking members > Council to advise PM on youth issues Mercedes Deutscher News Editor n July 19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, within his position as Minister of Youth, announced the details of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council, via an open discussion on Twitter. The council is to be made up of 30 individuals, aged 16-24, selected from areas all over the country and coming from varying social communities. Their goal will be to advise the Prime Minister and other members of Parliament on issues regarding young Canadians, such as employment and education. The input received from the council can affect future policy and budgets. Applications have been open since July 22.There will be two waves of selections: the first closing applications on August 12, and the second closing on October 7. There will be two stages in the application process for each wave. Of all who apply, 300 youth will advance to the next stage. Those 300 youth will be divided into 3 groups of 100, Ys oe al ee? a wa r based on highest community engagement, applicants with diverse backgrounds, and a random selection. These categories are designed to create a set of finalists who are well- versed in their communities, oo “ diverse, and representative of all youths in Canada. All 300 will be interviewed and be asked to send in additional material on why they should be selected. The final committee will then be selected from the two waves combined. \ = mw vy ° £ th Iw LS i $ ,o > w Da o E The councillors can serve a single term of up to two years. They are expected to meet with each other both offline and online throughout the year. Additionally, they will meet with the Prime Minister four times per year. Admissions office adds options for gender identity and preferred name > UFV makes progressive move towards gender inclusion Vanessa Broadbent The Cascade (University of the Fraser Valley) BBOTSFORD (CUP)— Students applying to UFV will now be able to identify their preferred name and gender. “We've added another option, which is ‘another gender identity, so someone doesn’t have to use the gender binary of male or female,” said Kyle Baillie, the Director of Student Life and Development. Students will also be able to provide a preferred name, which will be used in their student email accounts, on myUFV and Blackboard, and on class rosters. The changes are a clear move to promote inclusivity within the institution, and Baillie notes that there’s a variety of students who will benefit from them. “It’s not just students who are transitioning their gender,” he said. “We have international students who have their given name, and what they go by here in Canada—[they] can use this as well ... it’s open to all students.” Although these changes are only now ready to go into effect, planning began almost a year ago. “Last fall was when it really came on to the radar as something that we wanted to look at,” Baillie said. “We’ve been working on it for a little while, but it’s one of those things where we want to get it right.” Originally, the idea for _— Ca att Image via www.stantec.com the changes came out of conversations between Baillie, the Student Union Society, and the UFV Pride club—all three parties agreed that this was a necessary step for the institution. Ideally, while the opportunity is open to all Canadian youth, there has been some concern shared by youth living in Northern Canada—especially from those living in Nunavut, where bandwidth is too limited to host online meetings, and offline meetings require travelling. “There are so many Inuit youth across Canada who have lived experiences, who contribute to their respective communities in a very meaningful way, and who deserve a place at that table,” said Maatalii Okalik, President of the National Inuit Youth Council, to CBC. The concept of the council was first introduced during the 2015 federal election. It later received a formal announcement during the release of the Federal Budget back in April. This council will be unprecedented, as no previous prime minister has ever created a youth council. Ideally, it will lead to more influence from younger Canadians, some of whom aren't even old enough to vote. It may also lead to better employment opportunities, especially in politics, to those who serve on the council. “T think it’s really important, because it signals to anybody who is applying to UFV that inclusion is an important value to us,” Baillie said. “It’s about honouring and respecting our students and our staff. It’s an important step for us to take.” Students wanting to change their preferred name or gender identity can do so by completing the personal information change form on the UFV website and bringing it to the Office of the Registrar, a process that Baillie described as “fully confidential.” “A student doesn’t have to explain why they’re changing their name or their indicative gender identity,” he said. “They can just fill out the form, submit it, and we'll take care of everything else.” The changes will be fully effective when classes begin for the fall semester. “We're working through all the bugs and the business processes right now, but by September, it will be in place,” Baillie said.