Skip to content

Youth Engagement Strategy

The City continues to recognize the importance of retaining its youth population, and being recognized as a youth-friendly community.

A Youth Engagement Strategy is a coordinated approach to ensuring that local youth are engaged and participate in the community and have ownership in decisions that affect them. Meaningful youth engagement is crucial to sustaining a welcoming, resident focused, and socially sustainable city.

Youth Strategy Framework

In 2017, the City started updating the existing youth strategy through a series of engagement activities that provided multiple channels for youth and youth serving organizations to inform the our Youth Engagement Strategy Framework. This document builds on that engagement process and captures research and analysis and will inform the implementation of the plan alongside Airdrie’s broad range of youth-serving agencies and organizations.

Here are a few goals outlined in the Youth Engagement Strategy Framework, organized to support four foundational pillars.

Voice

  • Publicize youth initiatives and successes in Airdrie
  • Engage youth on timely issues and enhance youth representation on City initiatives and projects

Connect

  • Build dialogue and collaboration between the City and youth-servicing agencies and organizations on youth issues in Airdrie
  • Create channels for youth to connect with youth

Inform

  • Expand the City's range of communication to youth
  • Share information on City initiatives with community schools

Empower

  • Develop more mentorship opportunities for Airdrie youth
  • Develop resources to assist youth access to volunteer opportunities or gain paid employment

View the Youth Engagement Strategy Framework (PDF)

YES Committee

Airdrie YES Committee is community-driven and consists of dedicated stakeholders from various youth-serving groups and organizations.

The committee works to facilitate and guide the implementation of the Youth Strategy Framework. to identify many priority action items to help Airdrie become more youth-friendly.

Examples of actions items that have been implemented include:

  • The Youth Directory: A central online map to access local youth services.
  • A semi-annual forum, where representatives of youth-serving organizations and agencies can network, share information and discuss issues that matter to Airdrie’s youth.
  • Increased engagement between the Airdrie Board of Youth Affairs (ABYA) and City departments to discuss current and future projects that impact youth.

To learn more on the strategy and committee, please .