We are pleased to share an article about the Youth Impact Survey written by Sean Heeger for the Observer, in which he interviewed Meena Waseem, a youth in our community who has been involved in several projects over the last couple of years and Alison Pearson, Manager of Community Engagement and Planning on the backbone team of the CYPT. Meena, notably, was part of the Smart Waterloo Region Youth Innovation Council.
When the opportunity for an interview with the Observer came up, it would have been easy for Alison to connect with the paper and get things going, however, we didn’t want to talk about a co-designed survey with youth, without youth perspective directly included in the article. Yes, it took longer to coordinate, but of course, it was worth it for the community to have the opportunity to hear first hand from a young person on the value of the opportunity. We asked Meena about her experience and she said;
“The CYPT proves time and again that they truly centre the voices of children, youth, and families. When Alison asked me to join her for the interview with the Wilmot Observer, I was humbled and honoured. It was refreshing to be interviewed alongside an adult and be taken seriously for what I have to say. I felt heard and respected.”
Meena Waseem
Working differently, engaging with young people and prioritizing youth perspective is not new to the members of the CYPT. When we take the time to include youth voice and meaningfully engage, the results are usually pretty exciting.
To learn more about the Youth Impact survey, please click here.