this project - mccreary centre society · · 2016-09-27mccreary adult support who worked on this...

Members of McCreary YAC who worked directly onthis project:

Jaiminder Kang Nathan PennerJonas Lee Silvia HuaJulie Richards Sylvia EskoyHerminia Diaz

And thanks to the additional YAC members whocontributed their stories and feedback.

Alyshah Pirani Jourdan TomAmanda Murray Kyle HazlewoodBianca Cortlett Lily ZhouDavid Galligos Marty TuttGolda Adjei-Achampong Phuong NguyenJenny Louie

YAC Alumni who contributed their ideas.

August Ustare Poonum KangLaura Ward Sewy HayOpreet Kang Terence Lowe

McCreary adult support who worked on this project.

Aileen Murphy David SadlerAlison Liebel

McCreary YAC3552 E. HastingsVancouver, BCV5K 2A7

[email protected]

Members of Powell River YAC and Tla’Amin YAC whoworked directly on this project:

Carmen Craig Kaila SheperdGarett Pitton Sosan BlaneyGenie Louie Tawnya WodzinskaJacqueline Mathieu

And thanks to the additional YAC members whocontributed their stories and feedback.

Brett Harry Jonny de GoerterCecil Brooks Kyla FraserErin Mudry Zandra VellaJeremiah Jones

Powell River YAC and Tla’Amin YAC adult supportwho worked on this project.

Christine Hollmann Willow DunlopHugh Prichard

Powell River YAC & Tla’Amin YACc/o PO Box 146Lund, BCV0N 2G0

[email protected]

Project TeamMcCreary YAC Powell River YAC

and Tla’Amin YAC

Thanks to Coast Capital SavingsFoundation for the opportunity to dothis project.

Thanks to the pilot workshop participants in theSunshine Coast and Ladysmith.

Thanks to Cathy Bolton for facilitating theleadership retreats.

Thank you for reading this.

YAC Link: Tips and Tricks for Starting a YouthAdvisory Council was prepared by David Sadler,McCreary Youth Participation Coordinator.

© McCreary Centre Society, 2006

This booklet is the resource from the YAC Linkproject. This project is a partnershipbetween three Youth Advisory Coun-cils (YACs) to develop a workshopand resources about how to start andsustain YACs. The three councils areMcCreary Centre Society’s YAC inVancouver, Powell River YAC, andTla’Amin YAC (Kla-ah-min), alsonear Powell River.

The information and ideas in this resourcecame from interviews and workshops withcurrent and past YAC members. This info wasorganized into four different themes, and in

each theme are the tips and tricksidentified by our YAC members forstarting, running, and sustaining aYAC.

This toolkit is also part of aworkshop. If you are starting upa YAC, you can contact us toarrange for YAC members tocome and facilitate a workshopwith your group as an introduc-tion to the world of YACs.

So, read, learn and happyYACing!

“YAC” (Youth Advisory Council) is a term used to describe a broad range of youthdriven councils. These groups give a youth voice to organizations or to communi-ties. They can have an advisory role, a decision-making role and even take onprojects of their own. YACs exist all over the place, they are attached to NGOs,service organizations, municipal councils and foundations, just to name a few.

!

Thanks for reading YAC Link: Tipsand Tricks for Starting a YouthAdvisory Council.

Table of Contents

Page 6 Getting Started... Why YAC?1. Make Sure It’s Fun, Welcoming and Respectful2. Identify a Common Goal or Purpose3. Focus on Meaningful Involvement4. Provide Opportunities to Learn5. Personal Fulfilment, Success and Discovery6. Being a Voice for Youth

Page 12 Nuts and Bolts of a YAC1. Provide for the Needs of Your Group2. Create a Group Agreement on YAC Member Behaviour3. Sharing and Dividing the Work4. Find Effective Ways to Communicate With Your Group5. Orientation Process for New Members6. Be Prepared for Transition

Page 16 Keeping it Going1. Committed Members are Important2. Organizational Support3. Realistic Objectives4. Seeking out Ties and Partnerships in the Community5. Provide Training Opportunities

Page 21 Adult Support1. Be “A Guide on the Side, Not a Sage on a Stage”2. Managing Administrative Tasks3. Be Open to Ideas4. Youth Friendly and Building Relationships5. List of Good Skills to Have

Page 24 AppendixA short list of additional resources you may find useful.

Page 25 Project ListA list of activities each YAC has done.

Page 2 Introduction

Page 4 YAC History

Powell River and Tla’Amin YACsThe Story So Far...

The Powell River YAC developed as a result of a local Next Step Workshop held in May 2000.Coast Garibaldi Health and School District No. 47 (Powell River) jointly sponsored the Mc-Creary Next Step Workshop. The planning committee included representation from: Aboriginal

and non-Aboriginal youth; Tla’Amin First Nation; Powell RiverChild, Youth, and Family Services Society; Powell River Associa-tion for Community Living; Public Health Nursing; and counsellorsfrom middle and secondary schools. The Next Step workshopdiscussions and evaluations completed by youth clearly indicateda need for a Youth Advisory Council to give Powell River youth avoice in planning around youth health and social issues. With thehelp of a one-year community grant, the Powell River Youth Advi-sory Council (YAC) was formed in April 2001. A coordinator (HughPrichard) was hired to coordinate the project activities. Subse-quent program funding has been se-cured through agencies such as HealthCanada and operational funding from aconsortium of Powell River area com-munity and social service agencies.

A key aspect of the Powell River YAC’s approach is the integrationof community members including youth, parents, professionals, andcommunity groups and agencies. Another emphasis is on the mobi-lization of youth to develop and implement action plans that addressthe priority youth issues in partnership with community agencies.

Developed three years ago in partnership with the Tla’Amin FirstNation and Tla’Amin Health Services, the Tla’Amin YAC is an activecomponent of health and social program delivery on the reserve. With membership of ap-proximately 18-25 youth, programs range from weekly youth-led recreational programs as wellas a formal youth council where community issues are discussed in a traditional way.Founded with the goal of building bridges between aboriginal and non-aboriginal youth, thetwo councils meet and participate regularly on events and workshop opportunities.

Throughout its five years of running, the program has involved dozens of youth in many hoursof community based leadership and empowerment. The Powell River and Tla’Amin YACs giveyouth the opportunity to engage in finding the solutions to the social and health related issuesaffecting them. While much still is to be done to make BC communities truly youth friendly, thisprocess is a valuable foundation for every community. Youth leaders are our present, and ourfuture.

YAC History

The Story So Far...

The year was 1995 and sounds of Boyz II Men could be heard blaring through everyteenage girl’s stereo system. As Generation X sat glued to their television sets ea-gerly anticipating an episode of “Friends,” (the newest Thursday night sitcom) a groupof youth with an interest in youth health gath-ered.

In 1995 the McCreary Centre Society Boardof Directors decided that the organizationneeded to “walk the talk” and involve youth inthe organization. A couple of youth who hadbeen involved in a conference of McCreary’swere approached and asked how McCrearymight involve youth on a more permanentbasis. These young people recommendedthat McCreary support a Youth Advisory Coun-cil (YAC). The YAC decided that they wanted to start doing things right away, anddecided on a provincial for-youth-by-youth conference which they named the “B4”(Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges). The first B4 conference was held in No-

vember 1996 at Camp Squamish. The tenth annual B4 willbe hosted by McCreary’s YAC in 2006!

Over the past decade the “B4” has remained the “glue” forMCS’s YAC. Every YAC member is involved in organizingthe event and many YAC members havebeen recruited through the B4. YAC mem-bers are also involved in other aspects ofMcCreary: up to two YAC members serveon McCreary’s Board of Directors. Some

YAC members have also been involved in the Society’s researchor project advisory committees and some have been hired asproject staff. In addition, McCreary now has a YAC Alumni (pastYAC members) for those who want to stay involved by supportingand mentoring the YAC. Currently (2006), McCreary’s YAC has 20youth volunteers ranging in age from 15 to 25.

The McCreary Centre Society is a non-profit organization committed to improving thehealth of BC youth through research, education and community-based projects.Founded in 1977, the Society sponsors and promotes a wide range of activities andresearch to address unmet health needs of young people.

McCreary Centre Society YAC

YAC members at a retreat onGabriola Island in 1997

YAC History

Getting Started... Why YAC?The information in this section reflects what our Youth Advisory Councilmembers said first got them involved in joining a YAC and what it is that keepsthem involved.

Ideas for fun:" Provide food and time to socialize" Games and Icebreakers" Teambuilding activities

Ideas for building respect:" Group agreement" Teambuilding activities" Good role modelling by YAC members

and adult support

Ideas for supporting new members:" Buddy system (pairing new members

with an old member they can talk toand debrief with)

" Special first meeting (a fun and lowstress first meeting that everyone,including the new members, go to.Have ice breakers, games, and activi-ties to get to know each other.)

" Having an orientation package (infor-mation about the YAC for new mem-bers)

1Make Sure It’sFun, Welcomingand Respectful

RespectFoster an environment of respect in whichmembers are accepting and respectful ofeach other, their opinions, and ideas. Agroup agreement is something you can useto promote respect. There is more informa-tion on that later in this resource (page 12).

In Powell River we follow the Challenge By Choiceprinciple, which makes sure that everyone participatesas much, or as little, as they feel comfortable. Check

out appendix page 24 for more info.

FunYAC members said that one reason theywere involved in the YAC was because itwas an opportunity to have fun with otherlike-minded youth. Allowing time forteambuilding activities such as games,cooperative contests and social time allcontribute to creating a fun environment thatpeople want to come back to.

WelcomingNo one wants to join a group where they feeluncomfortable. It’s just common sense.When new members do join, it helps to havea welcoming atmosphere. The new membershould feel like a new and valued part of theYAC team, not a burden to the more experi-enced YAC members.

2Identify ACommon Goal orPurpose

A common goal or purpose is important to a YAC as it gives everyone a larger picture of whythey have come together. It also helps give a direction to projects and activities the YAC willtake on. This does not have to be a formal or complex agreement, as long as there is a com-mon understanding in the YAC.

You could think about it in terms of goals andobjectives. Objectives are activities, sort of likethe small steps that lead to the bigger goal.

Long term goal:The goal of the YAC is to create a healthiercommunity for youth.

Here are some examples of goalsand objectives:

Short term objective:The YAC will organize a local band night.This will give the youth in the communitysomething fun and positive to do.

or

The YAC will develop a presentation ondiscrimination and will perform it at theelementary school.

YACers have said that in thecase of disagreement on some-

thing, revisiting the purpose of the YACcan sometimes help put things in per-spective.

If eating adrumstick isyour goal, thenthe first bite isan objective...

Garett’s artistic expression of a YAC

Tawnya’s artistic expression of her YAC

Meaningful activities are something that allYACs need to feel valued and fulfilled. YACmembers believe that projects and hands onactivities are important to getting and keep-ing youth interested. Each YAC will do itsown thing, depending on the goals they haveagreed on. The important thing is that theYAC members themselves decide what theywant to do and have the opportunity to bethe ones to do it.

Your YAC may have an advisory role, wherean organization listens to the YAC’s opinionon issues, or perhaps your group will under-take its own community project. Or both! Forexample, McCreary’s YAC advises theBoard of Directors and organizes a week-end youth conference each year for youthfrom around BC. Powell River and Tla’Aminorganize drug and alcohol free events foryouth in the community to attend.

Youth can be involved in a variety ofways in the functioning of a YAC.

They can fundraise, planand facilitate meetings,develop workshops andpresentations etc. Beinginvolved in different ways

builds the sense of pride and owner-ship that YAC members feel about theirexperience, and gives them more chancesto develop capacity and skills.

In Powell River and Tla’Amin the phrase

“by youth for youth” is used to describe this

way of being.

3Focus onMeaningfulInvolvement

Through my involvement with thePowell River Youth Advisory Coun-cil I have had countless opportuni-ties to meet and join with differentcommunity groups and organiza-tions. I would have to say thatgetting to know these other peopleand working alongside them in mycommunity has meant the most tome out of all my volunteer work. Mymost memorable experience was

volunteering at the United Church spaghettidinners. Every Monday night the churchwould host this dinner for anyone in thecommunity to attend at a very low cost.Someone from the church had approachedthe YAC and asked members to help withthe dinner. Almost every Monday for a yearI would go and stand in the kitchen for twohours washing the dishes. It was great tosee and be a part of different people of allages coming together, talking, laughing andsharing a great meal. I learned that givingeven just a little bit of your time on a regularbasis can have great ripple effects in acommunity.

Tawnya, Powell River YAC

Being on a YAC provides the opportunity tolearn new things in many different ways. YACsthat provide opportunities to learn new thingshave a better chance of keeping their mem-bers interested, engaged and involved. YACsare a great place to learn, and practice, lead-ership skills.

Learning from peersHaving the opportunity to meet a wide range ofpeople with a variety of experiences is impor-tant for everyone’s personal growth.

Learning by trainingTraining opportunities really help a youngperson develop skills. More is said about thison page 20.

Learning by doingGetting your hands dirty is another way thatYAC members learn skills and grow capacity.For example: facilitating a workshop, makingposters, or organizing a dance.

Learning through participationAnother opportunity that is great for YACs isattending workshops and conferences organ-ized by other groups. Even just being at differ-ent events will contribute to a YAC member’sgrowth.

4ProvideOpportunitiesto Learn

meet diverse people

attend workshops andconferences

get skills that may help inyour personal life or at a job

boost your resumé withvolunteer experience

Being on a YAC can provideopportunities to:

#

#

#

#

One of the important things that youth said that they gain from being involved in a YAC is asense of personal fulfilment. They feel that they are accomplishing great things and are con-tributing to their community.

Allow opportunities for the group to self-reflect on how they are doing as a group. Checking inon how members are personally feeling about the YAC is also a good idea. Personal reflec-tion helps members understand and appreciate why they are involved.

Tons of personal fulfilment, happiness and growth comes from facing challenges and over-coming them. This is why it’s important that YACshave the opportunity to challenge themselves. Butof course, how you and your YAC chooses to chal-lenge itself depends on what you are willing andable to undertake.

A challenge could range from raising money for alocal charity, going on a teambuilding retreat,facilitating a workshop, organizing a conference...or more! The group will have more opportunities toimprove skills and grow if it is doing more than justcoasting along.

5Personal Fulfil-ment, Successand Discovery

Being part of the YAC has helped me to openmyself up to people and allow them to see moreof me. When I’m with my YAC I can just be myselfand not worry about them dissing me behind myback. Through the time I have been with YAC Ihave become more alive. I’ve gone to AMAZINGconferences that I otherwise would not have beenable to do.

Garett, Powell River YAC

At McCreary, after theB4 conference Mc-Creary’s YAC has a

celebration dinner. They debriefhighlights and lowlights of theevent and members reflect ontheir personal experience, whatthey contributed and what theycame away with.

The last reason that our members say they got involved is thatYACs give youth the opportunity to have a voice in the community.Lots of youth are interested in contributing to their communitiesand a YAC can help them do that.

6Being AVoice forYouth

I became involved with the YAC in 2003. I had just startedvolunteering at the Boys and Girls Club after becoming inter-ested in community leadership and making a personal changein my life that was necessary for my growth. A worker with theclub showed me a posting about aleadership conference held by theMcCreary Centre Society. I was in-trigued. It seemed to be just the thing Iwas looking for. The workshops lookedvery interesting. The theme was socialawareness, and the workshops were onleadership and other youth issues. Ididn’t have much money so I phoned acommunity assistance program andthey told me to write a letter to the LionsClub. I did and they granted me themoney to attend! I was happy but a littlescared about my new adventure. Idecided to believe in the best and getout there. It proved to be a greatdecision when I met a lot of awesomepeople who were interested in making a difference andhelping others. I had a great time. The people were creativeand outrageous. I learned a lot while having fun at the sametime, and enjoying the outdoors. It was cool. After that I joinedthe YAC in helping to plan and organize the next conference.We have fun and build skills such as teamwork, organizing andcommunication skills and I believe we make a difference inbeing role models for others. We make improvements eachyear and it just keeps getting better.

Nathan, McCreary YAC

Nuts & Bolts of a YACThese are 6 things that YAC members feel contribute to having a healthy andwell organized YAC. Just like a car, without nuts and bolts things can fall apart.

Place to meetHave a regular, safe andcomfortable place tomeet. Meeting in thesame place regularlymeans that people can

plan out their schedules. If you have to movearound a lot, it is chaotic and mis-communi-cation can lead to people missing meetingsand not feeling included.

FoodFood is a great incen-tive. It helps to havesnacks or drinks onhand during meetings. People think betterwhen they are not hungry. McCreary’s YAClikes to have a pizza dinner together andsocialize before the meeting starts. It alsocreates a great opportunity for social time.

TransportationAnother need that yourgroup might have is trans-portation. McCrearyprovides bus tickets formembers who use public transportation. InTla’Amin, adult volunteers will drive to pickyouth up to take them to the meetings. Also,if you can get your hands on a helicopter, doso, it will come in handy.

Creating a group agreement for YAC mem-ber behaviour can set the foundation forworking well together. Be-haviour should beagreed upon by thewhole YAC when itis first formed, andthe agreement canbe referred back toand modified if behaviour becomes a prob-lem. An agreement could be recorded onsomething like flip chart paper or somethingmore creative – a flag, a ball or another 3Dobject. Have the group decide.

2Create a GroupAgreement forYAC MemberBehaviour

1Provide for theNeeds of YourGroup

How To Do It:Have the YAC brainstorm anagreement for the group onhow they want to work to-

gether. Explain that these will be guide-lines for making everyone feel safeparticipating. Take suggestions thateveryone can agree on.

If someone suggests a broad conceptsuch as, “I need to feel respected,” tryto develop the concept into somethingconcrete with more specific examples.Ask the YAC for recognizable ways ofacting that demonstrate this idea. Forexample ask, “what would respectfulbehaviour look like?” You can alsohave all members sign the agreementif they feel they can honour the con-tract.

There may be specific considerations thatneed to be addressed depending on who isin your group or which community you are in.An example of this might be child care.

Here are some roles that YAC memberssay make meetings run well:

Having roles and responsibilities is helpful in running anorganized YAC. It helps keep the YAC on track. Makesure that the required jobs of each role are known to thepeople taking them on.

Take, for instance, the responsibility of minute taker. ForMcCreary this does not just mean taking minutes at meet-ings. The minute taker is also responsible for making sure the minutes are sent out to the restof the group. This is very important to the YAC. Distributing the minutes makes sure everyoneis kept up to date, and there is also a record of any decisions made by the group.

McCreary rotates roles such as the chair and minute taker for each meeting. Decide whatworks best for your group. You may decide to use more permanent positions. Timelines canalso be assigned to these positions so that responsibilities can be rotated around providingmore opportunity for learning and also depending on the age of the youth involved, less daunt-ing (eg. chairing for two meetings then switching). Sharing prevents some YAC members frombeing overloaded. Ask new members to be involved in some roles, sometimes they just needto be asked.

3Sharing andDividing theWork

ChairKeeps the meeting on track, facilitates discussion.Usually works out the agenda before the meeting.McCreary’s YAC chooses a chair for the next meetingat the end of the current meeting.

Meeting Contact PersonResponsible for updating contact information andcontacting members to remind them of meetings andevents. Keeps track of how many people are ex-pected, which is important for planning food.

Minute TakerTakes minutes at meetings to record decisions made.Types up and distributes these minutes to the rest ofthe YAC and staff so everyone is informed.

Process WatcherPowell River also has a role for a thoughtful youthcouncil member who informally keeps tabs on how thegroup is working and whether the Group Agreement isbeing followed. This person also monitors for equalairtime (speaking).

When taking on large projects,it helps to break up the tasks.

When McCreary’s YAC organizes theB4 Conference they break the projectinto sub-committees:

Social CommitteeOrganizes social activities, ice-breakers, and fun parts of theweekend conference.

Logistics CommitteeOrganizes the behind the sceneswork, like finding a location,booking transportation, findingresources and money to run theconference.

Program CommitteeOrganizes which workshops andpresenters will be at the confer-ence.

Effective communication within the group isimportant so that members know importantthings like when the next meeting is happening,or any special projects that are in the works.This sounds basic, but its really important!Find out for yourself what works well for yourgroup. We suggest that you use more thanone way to contact people. Different peoplemay prefer different methods of contact. Mc-Creary and Powell River use phone calling andemailing as the usual way to contact people. Itis important that it is clear whose responsibilityit is to contact members for events, and how longbefore meetings or events this contact is sup-posed to happen.

4Find Effective Waysto Communicatewith Your Group

I joined the McCreary YAC because I want to give backto the community, and so I can keep out of trouble. Ireally enjoy being on the YAC because it makes mefeel good to help other people. To teach others andgain new skills myself also is another reason why Ijoined the YAC. Helping people learn different skillsand seeing things in a different perspective. Lettingpeople know that they are great the way they are,maybe by blurting out random things or maybe lettingsomeone know they did a good job at something theythought they would suck at. I believe that everyone hasa purpose for something no matter what it is. They alldeserve props just for trying.

I joined the YAC because Laura forced me to, and I’m really glad that she did,because who knows where I would be now!! It’s a really great experience andone hell of an opportunity. I believe it has in some sense helped me become abetter person by now wanting to get more involved in my community and be-coming closer with everyone and making new friends.

The YAC is great and I think everyone should get more involved in their com-munity.

Julie, McCreary YAC

McCreary’s YAC has begun using an appli-cation and orientation process for newmembers. An in-person orientation is agreat introduction for new members to get toknow the YAC. This is where new membersmeet with current members and share theirexperience with the YAC. It can be doneone on one or in groups. It is also helpful topotential members because it gives themthe opportunity to get a good look at theYAC and see if joining is something they areactually interested in. The orientation can beinformal and could include an explanation ofwhat the YAC is, any projects being workedon, norms and procedures of the group,what is expected from members, and any-thing else that is relevant... And most impor-tantly, make it fun!

McCreary’s YAC has an orientation bookletit gives to members once they join. It con-tains a list of members and contact informa-tion, a simple YAC history, what is expectedfrom members, how to run meetings andother useful information.

Your YAC should be prepared for transitionin two ways: the transition of members, andthe transition of the YAC’s skills and inter-ests.

The number of members in your YAC willincrease and decrease over time. New YACmembers join, and old YAC members willleave for different reasons. They might moveon to other things, get busy with school orwork, move, or their interests might change.Keeping this in mind is helpful, because yourgroup can work to ensure that informationabout the YAC won’t be lost during thisprocess.

Another aspect of transition to be aware ofis transition of skill and interest of the YAC.At McCreary the YAC has evolved over thepast 10 years. Different groups bring differ-ent strengths and interests. The YAC willstay strong if the organization is flexible andcan respond to the changes in the group.

5OrientationProcess forNew Members 6Be

Prepared forTransition

These are the questions on theapplication form for McCreary’sYAC. They allow the YAC to get

a sense of who someone is and whythey want to join. The questions arenot difficult or long so they wont scarepeople away.

" How did you hear aboutthe YAC?

" Why do you want to be onthe YAC?

" What could you bring tothe YAC?

Keeping It GoingNow that the YAC is up and going, the next step is thinking about how to keepthe momentum going, and keeping individuals involved and interested. Hereare some of the ideas that YAC members identified as being particularly im-portant for keeping them interested. The more of these things that your YAChas, the more likely it will be successful in the long run!

Has your group ever asked themselves, whatmakes them committed?

Our YACs identified what keeps themcommitted:

gaining skillschallenging themselveshaving funmaking a difference

What are the reasons your group isinvolved?

1CommittedMembers areImportant

Having a core group of committed and motivatedmembers is a key ingredient in any YAC. Com-mitment can mean attending meetings, activelyparticipating in discussions, following through ontasks, and being willing to put the time in to makeprojects a success.

Commitment starts with members, so the mix of people you have on your YAC can have animpact on what your group expects from its members. There is a balance between keeping adiversity of skill and experience on the council and getting things done. Diversity of skill andexperience is important, but having experienced youth who can mentor new members helps inkeeping the council running smoothly over the long run.

Commitment can be challenging! Like most youth, McCreary’s YAC tries to balance their YACtime with their other activities (school, work, friends, or family). The YAC encourages itsmembers to respond to messages, attend meetings, follow through on tasks etc. But the YACis also understanding of members’ busy and sometimes chaotic lives. Challenges in anindividual’s life can mean that a youth needs to step back from the YAC for a period of time. InMcCreary’s experience, having the number of members at 20 youth has worked well formeetings and projects.

What kind of commitment does your groupneed from its members?

McCreary’s YAC doesn’t have set termsof membership. Members are encour-aged to be active, but can step away fora period of time if other priorities comeup like school.

Powell River YAC asks its members tobe fully present when at meetings and tofollow through on tasks.

####

If your YAC is attached to a “parent” organization orgroup, this organization should be prepared to supportthe YAC. Having regular support gives the YAC stability.

2

busticketsfor members

providing ameetingplace

adultsupportpeople

photocopying

access tocomputers,faxes orphones

Support you can count on keeps a YAC going because itallows the YAC to focus on its goals. It will also allow youto think about the future as you know you have the re-sources there to back you up.

The McCreary YAC has its own office at McCreary. Thisis a place the youth can store all their materials and workon their projects with their own dedicated computer.

funding for YACmeetings andprojects

OrganizationalSupport

Support Might Look Like:

YAC members are more likely to stay involvedand motivated if they feel that they are achievingsomething. Therefore, realistic objectives whereYAC members can see the results are important.It’s kinda obvious, but achieving things gives asense of success when they are accomplished.The more things you succeed at, the more confi-dence the YAC will get. Not all projects or activi-ties have results that you can see and be proudof immediately. In this case reflect with your groupon what you are accomplishing over the long run.

Working on achievable objectives creates acommon purpose and goal, as well as fostersteamwork.

Objectives can be very specific, like raising acertain amount of money, or organizing andfacilitating a youth health workshop.

3RealisticObjectives

Teamwork helps make theYAC run smoothly and thatallows the YAC to achieve its

objectives

Questions to ask yourself:

Keeping in mind any goals youmay have, what are 2 objectivesfor your group?

What will you need to achieveyour objectives? (People,materials, meeting space,pens, paper, etc)

What will you actually do toachieve this goal? List specificactivities your group will do toachieve this goal. List them inorder as they occur.

Creating connections and partnerships inthe community, either formal or informal, can

increase the YAC’s level ofsupport in the commu-

nity. Networkingcan lead

to more re-sources and opportunities. Networkingcan be achieved through advertising orpublicity of events, inviting community mem-bers to events, volunteering at public func-tions or other outreach strategies.

Seeking OutTies andPartnerships inthe Community

4

Powell River’s YAC has beensuccessful because of its partner-

ships. A number of groups that work withyouth and those that have financiallysupported the YAC have representativeson a “steering committee” for the YAC.

McCreary has had success with develop-ing networks through projects. Throughthe B4 conference McCreary’s YAC getsto know youth leaders and groups fromacross BC.

Powell River and McCrearyYAC members at a workshop.

5Provide TrainingOpportunities

YACs also need opportuni-ties for training to increasetheir skills and capacities.

Of course, official trainingis not the only way thatYAC members learn skills.When McCreary’s YACfirst formed, they immedi-ately started working on aproject. By doing this theydeveloped skills. YACers can learn a lot bydoing hands-on activities.

Think about what kind of training would be appropriate to the activities thatthe YAC want to do. An example is public speaking training for YAC mem-bers who will be giving workshops.

Kaila’sartisticexpressionof herYAC

Presentation skills

Communication skills

Facilitation skills

...What do you think willbe useful for your YAC?

Examples of training thatYACs might want are:

###

YAC members want adult assistance some-times, but they don’t want them to run theshow. It is important for adult support torecognize the difference between being asupport and running the group. “A guide onthe side, not a sage on the stage” meansthat the adult support doesn’t tell the youthwhat to do, but rather stands on the sidegiving guidance and input where it is appro-priate. The adult support should be a rolemodel and mentor to the group.

Sometimes adult support must be there togive a push or keep a project moving. Adultsupport may also be needed to step inwhere there is a conflict or problem which isinterfering with the group’s ability to function.It might be necessary to work one-on-onewith members who are having some sort ofissue with the group.

When working together it helps for the adultto use open ended questions, to help revealthe answers that the youth already have.

Adult SupportWe use the term “Adult Support” to refer to any adult or staff member who isin a support role to a YAC.

1Be “A Guide onthe Side, Not aSage on a Stage” 2Managing

AdministrativeTasks

There are many aspects of running a YACthat are simply just way more practical for aadult support person to deal with. These aremostly logistical things which can be difficultfor volunteers to find time to do. They includethings such as keeping contact info in acentral place, applying for grants, or evenphoning people during business hours whenmost YAC members are in school.

Of course, this does not mean that YACmembers cannot be involved in these things,but these are things that YACers haveidentified as being helpful for the adult sup-port to take the lead on.

At McCreary, YAC members who have beenhired in summer jobs often take on theseadmin tasks while they are in the office.

There are a great deal of re-sources on skills and effectivestrategies to engage youth,

check in the appendix (page 24) forsome resources that we like.

Here are somequalities that YACmembers identifiedas being helpful forthe adult supportperson to have:

4List ofGood SkillsTo Have

Conflict resolution skills

Ideas for team building activities

Being encouraging

Sense of humour

Ability to stay on track

Organized

Mature, but not too mature

Naturally friendly

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Adult support should be receptive to ideasfrom the YAC, even if at first glance theyseem odd. Really good ideas can appearwhen they are least expected.

At the same time, YACers have pointed outthe importance of constructive criticism. In anon-confrontational manner, adult supportshould challenge YAC members in thinkingthrough their decisions.

For example, maybe “YAC memberScooter” has a crazy fundraising idea, “AdultSupport Casey” should build on Scooter’sideas and help him develop them into some-thing useable. Casey should not ignoreScooter’s ideas and push his or her ownagenda.

3Be Opento Ideas

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Adult support for a YAC has to be youthfriendly. This means people who are under-standing and supportive of the needs of theyouth, and are willing to learn from them.Someone who can relate to, respect and besensitive to the needs of the group. Thisperson should not be afraid of taking risks,and should be open to doing the sameteambuilding games and activities that theyouth members do. This includes participat-ing in silly icebreakers at conferences andmeetings. And remember, be yourself!

Adult supports are most helpful when theycan build a good relationship with the group.Having a good relationship can help a lot ifthere is ever a problem between the adultsupport and the YAC.

5 Youth Friendlyand BuildingRelationships

If possible, it is good to havemore than one adult support

person. Members may feel morecomfortable approaching aparticular person over another.

McCreary has four staff memberswho the YAC can come and talk to.

I was once a YAC member, and nowI am adult support. Now I support the

YAC, andus adultssupporteach otheras well.Back thenus YACsupportedeach otherand we hadno idea

what the adults did. But now I know–adults mentor, coach, and listen.They quietly work behind the sceneson anything that needs doing. Andadults have to remember to taketime out to support each other and tochallenge ourselves –we need tokeep learning as well!

That’s it! That’s all the tips and tricks that we have to give. We want to remind you that there isno perfect model for a YAC that works for everyone. We don’t want to tell you how to run yourgroup, but rather share what we have found useful from our own experiences. Chances aresome of it will be helpful. You may find that your YAC is completely different from ours, andthat’s cool.

So have fun and good luck.

The END (of the toolkit ...and the start of your YAC)

Minda, McCreary Adult Support

TeamBuilding

Appendix

Youth Resources

Simple IcebreakersChallenge By ChoiceThis principle gives each participant theoption to choose his or her own level ofparticipation in activities. It’s not an opportu-nity to withdraw from activities, but a chanceto find alternative ways to participate thatare more comfortable, for instance, observ-ing a game instead of playing it.

For more info on Challenge By Choice:www.wilderdom.com/ABC/ChallengeByChoice.html

Sharing a New Story: Young People in DecisionMakingA report produced by The Foundation forYoung Australians, which focuses on youngpeople in decision-making. It offers a reflec-tive toolkit for people working alongsideyoung people in decision-making roles.

www.youngaustralians.org/resources/downloads/sharing_a_new_story.pdf

Move Your Butt (Active)Have the participants sit in a large circle, withthe facilitator standing in the middle. Thefacilitator says, “Move your butt if _______”,(e.g. you have a tattoo, you like to dance, etc.).Then everyone who meets the description muststand up and try to find another empty chairsomewhere in the circle. They are not allowedto choose the chair immediately next to them-selves. The facilitator will also try to sit down ina chair that someone vacated. After everyonehas settled into chairs, someone will be leftstanding. It’s now their turn to say, “Move yourbutt if ________”.

The Squeeze Game (Cooperative)Have participants stand in a circle and joinhands. The leader then squeezes the hand ofthe person sitting on his or her right hand side.This person passes the squeeze on to theperson sitting on his or her right side bysqueezing his or her hand. The squeeze con-tinues around the circle until it comes back tothe leader. The leader then starts the squeezeagain, this time challenging participants tosqueeze as fast as they can. The leader cantime how long it takes for the squeeze to goaround the circle once and encourage partici-pants to beat their record.Clothespin Chaos (Active)Everyone gets three clothespins which theyattach to their back. When told to, everyoneruns around trying to take others’ clothespins. Ifthey grab someone else’s they have to thenclip it to their back. The person with the mostclothespins on their back after 5 minutes wins!

These are just some sample games your groupcould play. Type “Icebreaker Games” into anysearch engine and you will find lots more.

Centre of Excellence for Youth EngagementA Canadian website and organization withlots of information about youth engagement.

www.tgmag.ca/centres/

McCreary Centre SocietyYeah, it’s us. Lots of information about youthhealth trends and reports, as well as inter-esting youth engagement projects (if yourYAC needs a fun and informative project todo, check out The Next Steps).

www.mcs.bc.ca ☺

Project ListPowell River &Tla’Amin YAC

McCreary’s YAC

Here is a quick sample of some of the projects our YACs have done.

Girls Inc.Self esteem workshops for teen girls.

Opt for Straight TalkYouth led workshop series and trainingcovering exploitation and healthy relation-ships.

Let’s Educate About Drugs CarnivalCarnival event put on for more than 500youth.

Your Body, Your Mind! Let’s talk About It!!Youth led healthy relationship and communi-cations skills workshops for grade 8 stu-dents.

Powell River IdolHugely popular talent show!

Youth Mental HealthDevelopment of award winning puppet playsdesigned to raise awareness about mentalhealth disorders in young adolescents.

Youth Participation in Community GroupsYAC members have also been regulardelegates at municipal meetings, chief andcouncil meetings, Vancouver Coastal HealthCommunity Advisory Committee, BuildingBlocks Committee for youth 13-19, Commu-nity Crime Prevention and Justice Program(Tla’amin Health Services), School District#47 Youth Health Committee, and the Let’sEducate About Drugs Committee.

Breaking Barriers & Building Bridges Conference(The B4)The YAC’s pride and joy -a full weekendskill-building and leadership conference foryouth. All workshops are led by youth, andcover a wide variety of skills and issuetopics. The YAC is in the 10th year of run-ning this conference.

B4 on the RoadThe YAC also facilitated B4 conferencesaround the province, first in Prince George,but also Williams Lake.

Open Door ProjectYAC members were hired to develop asurvey for youth to grade how “youth friendly”the services in their community were.

Doctor ProjectA YAC member conducted a researchproject concerning youth in care and theirexperiences with doctors.

Various Conference PresentationsOn many occasions YAC members havepresented at a variety of conferences, bothfor youth and for adults, on a variety of youthparticipation and health topics.

this project - mccreary centre society · · 2016-09-27mccreary adult support who worked on this...

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