ABOUT MYAC

Welcome to the About MYAC page where you will learn more about the structure and terms of reference for this committee of council for the City of Windsor.

Article 1: Name
This organization shall be known as the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee, hereinafter referred to as MYAC.

Article 2: Purpose
i. MYAC will act as an advisory body to the Mayor and Council, on those issues within the influence of the City of Windsor, which have an impact on the youth of this City.
ii. The objective of MYAC is to encourage the constructive input of Youth of the City of Windsor on those matters, which are likely to have an impact on them and empower those to get involved and have their voice heard in local government.
iii. To address, create discussion and/or make recommendations on issues pertaining to all levels of government.

Article 3: Mission
The Mission of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee is to represent, engage, and connect youth in the City of Windsor and to bring forth recommendations to City Council in order to enhance the lives of youth in our community.

Article 4: Vision
The Youth in the City of Windsor play an active role in Municipal decisions and are making positive impactful contributions in the development and sustainability of a unified community.

Article 5: Values

Diversity:

• We value and respect diversity, which enables us to discover, learn, and accept ideas from one another.

Empowerment:

• We will enable the youth to voice their opinions and get engaged in the community.

Partnerships:

• We will develop and maintain partnerships between community organizations, groups and businesses to achieve our goals.

Youth:

• We value the input of youth into all aspects of MYAC.

Article 6: Committee
The Committee shall be made up of elected members and resource personnel.

1. The elected members’ positions include:
I. Two Co-Chairpersons
II. Director of Communications
III. Director of Community Projects
IV. Director of Community Relations
V. Director of Membership Affairs
VI. Director of Financial Affairs

2. Resource members include:
I. Mayor of the City of Windsor or Designated Official
II. Committee Coordinator
III. Member of City Council
IV. Others as required

3. The Committee shall meet at minimum once a month to discuss happenings in the community and within the Committee.

4. In the event that a Committee member misses more than three meetings consecutively without regrets, or without a valid reason, he/she may subsequently be removed off the Committee and a new member shall be appointed by the striking committee.

Article 7: Duties of Committee Members

Co-Chairs

i. The co-chairs shall be responsible for chairing meetings and for setting the agenda for each meeting. He/she must ensure that all items to be included in the agenda are delivered to the Secretary in a timely fashion.
ii. Must foster a strong relationship between the Mayor, City Council, the City Administration and the community on a whole.
iii. Provide regular updates/progress reports to the Office of the Mayor.

Director of Communications

i. Must take responsibility for producing and distributing an information bulletin for the City of Windsor and the MYAC community. The bulletin could potentially include newspapers, newsletters or any other form of communication including the City of Windsor and MYAC websites.
ii. Must serve as a director of information by relaying information to the Committee and the remainder of the community of the City of Windsor.
iii. Must ensure that all information relevant to MYAC is provided to the Communications Lead in Corporate Services in order to achieve potential full coverage across the city.
iv. Must strive to attain a solid form of communication with High School Student Councils by keeping in touch on a monthly basis. This involves the encouragement of participation and notification of MYAC related events (i.e. meetings, activities etc).

Director of Membership Affairs

i. Ensure that all Committee members are trained so that everyone can do their duties to the best of their ability.
ii. Provide all MYAC members with contact information and have it accessible at all times.
iii. Ensure an updated list of member volunteer information is available.

Director of Community Relations

i. Knowledgeable and up-to-date on community events and issues relating to youth.
ii. Ensure that MYAC is represented on community groups/committees where youth input is needed or desired.

Director of Community Projects

i. Identify and organize community projects that involve the participation of youth through events held by MYAC.
ii. Must work in conjunction with the Director of Financial Affairs when organizing projects if funding is necessary.
iii. Foster a strong commitment to the youth of the City of Windsor and promote MYAC as a positive youth initiative.

Director of Financial Affairs

i. Must work with resources to seek grants and other sources of funding to support future MYAC endeavours and to monitor any expenditures that may result.

Article 8: Nominations/Elections
A member of MYAC is defined as an individual appointed by the Striking Committee of City Council for a designated term.

Length of Term
Striking committee appoints members for a period of 2 years.

First Meeting
The Committee Coordinator will preside over the elections for the co-chairs and directors as the first item of business of the newly constituted Committee.

Article 9: Sub-committees
MYAC may establish sub-committees as required. The Chair of any sub-committee must be a Committee member of MYAC. Sub-committee members shall comprise of volunteer members throughout the community.

Article 10: Terms of Reference
The membership structure and Terms of Reference shall be reviewed by the Committee on an annual basis to determine if the Committee should recommend suggested changes to City Council.

Article 11: Procedural Requirements
Proceedings for all meetings of MYAC, will be pursuant to those in Bourinot’s Rules of Order and City of Windsor Procedural By-Law.

MISSION STATEMENT - Is a brief, clear statement of the purpose of the group, describes the primary business of the group and its reason for being.

• The mission of the Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee is to represent, engage and connect youth in the City of Windsor and to bring forth recommendations to City Council in order to enhance the lives in our community.

VISION STATEMENT - Is a statement that describes the preferred future of the group.

• The youth in the City of Windsor play an active role in Municipal decisions and are making positive impactful contributions in the development and sustainability of a unified community.

VALUES - Are principles, standards or qualities which are those core beliefs and convictions of the MYAC, guiding all activities, behaviours, relationships and decisions.
The MYAC values are:

Diversity:

• We value and respect diversity, which enables us to discover, learn, and accept ideas from one another.

Empowerment:

• We will enable the youth to voice their opinions and get engaged in the community.

Partnerships:

• We will develop and maintain partnerships between community organizations, groups and businesses to achieve our goals.

Youth:

• We value the input of youth into all aspects of MYAC.

TERMS OF REFERENCE AND STRUCTURE TO BE POSTED AFTER APPROVAL BY CITY COUNCIL. STAY TUNED!

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OFFICIAL MAYOR'S YOUTH ADVISORY PROPOSAL TO CITY COUNCIL - (CARRIED) 1. RECOMMENDATION: THAT a Youth Advisory Committee BE ESTABLISHED to address issues related to the youth in the City of Windsor, which will assist our community in considering the needs and issues regarding local youth as well as insure that these concerns are properly addressed and further; THAT Council approve the Mayor’s Office to approach Windsor area school boards and their respective Student Councils and various youth agencies in determining a structure for developing a Youth Advisory Committee and finally; THAT members BE APPOINTED by the Striking Committee to the Youth Advisory Committee; and further report to the Mayor and Council no later than eight months from the date of formation. 2. BACKGROUND: Youth are the next generation of decision makers and are the future of our city. It is imperative for youth to realize that by actively participating in their community, not only do they benefit by building a better foundation for themselves, but also it provides them an opportunity to contribute to their community. The Mayor and members of Council have discussed a variety of initiatives to encourage and promote youth involvement in all aspects of the City of Windsor. Youth are not necessarily unaware of the fact that they can make a difference; they just need a format to be heard and actually be involved in the decisions that affect youth directly. Most recently the Mayor held a Youth Town Hall Meeting at Devonshire Mall specifically to hear from youth as to their view and what the City of Windsor could be doing to better facilitate their needs. Concurrently in preparations of the Youth Town Hall meeting, the Mayor’s Office was approached by University of Windsor student, Prerna Chandak, with a vision of developing a Youth Advisory Committee for the Mayor and Council. Ms. Chandak, a former resident of Mississauga was actively involved in the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee of Mississauga. In review of Ms. Chandak’s experience, Mayor Francis has asked Ms. Chandak to work with the Mayor’s Office to develop and organize the necessary research and consultation in preparation of this report to City Council for the development of a City of Windsor Youth Advisory Committee. At the same time, Denny Timm, a Windsor youth approached a City Councilor with the idea of getting youth more involved. 3. DISCUSSION: The Mayor’s Youth Town Hall meeting was held on October 14th, 2005, which provided an opportunity for youth in the city to interact and question the Mayor by bringing issues concerning youth to the forefront. In attendance at the event were some 200 youth who were given the chance to either voice issues or fill out suggestion forms. As a result of the open forum a list was formulated in regards to the responses received. From 121 respondents: 59 mentioned the need for a new accessible youth location/venue, 10 mentioned the need for quick affordable transportation methods for students and throughout the city and, 3 mentioned the need for a youth-operated form of communication to relay information regarding youth events to students across the city. A large majority of students who responded mentioned a need for youth voices to be represented and action taken on their behalf. Also, a large number of students mentioned that an increasing number of youth are immigrating from a variety of countries and diverse backgrounds and they would like to see accurate information given out in regards to customs/holidays/practices so as to diminish prejudice. A Youth Advisory Committee will act as a forum for youth to meet others from different backgrounds living across the city. The Advisory Committee will enable youth to learn and discuss issues that affect them and report back to council with suggestions on addressing youth needs within the City of Windsor. SCOPE OF THE YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE: 1. Identify and report to the Mayor and Council issues that affect youth in the City of Windsor, including: a. Communication strategies to inform youth of events across the city b. Placements and training opportunities to enhance skills and resumes of youth c. Explore issues like race, religion and youth culture d. Activities directed toward youth e. Establish a youth venue for various events f. Recognize work done by youth in the community g. Launching youth centered activities and volunteering at various city-run events h. Other issues as identified by the youth advisory committee 2. Make recommendations to Mayor and Council regarding strategies that could be used by City administration to enhance the focus of Youth interest and needs in the City of Windsor. TERMS OF REFERENCE: The Terms of Reference for The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee will enable the committee to: A. Prepare a work plan outlining the objectives of the Youth Advisory Committee and strategies for execution. United Way has offered to facilitate the development of the work plan. B. Contact youth directly to obtain their views on issues relevant to their needs and possible suggestions how the City of Windsor may address the issues. C. Identify Best Practice models from various municipal Youth Advisory Committees and make recommendations to Council on an appropriate Youth Advisory Committee structure as an ongoing committee of Council. D. Conduct surveys with youth specific to identified issues. E. Conduct consultative meetings with student councils from local school boards, youth action groups, teen health centers and other representative youth groups. A full list of community youth groups are attached as Appendix A F. Develop and maintain a youth web portal as a form of communicating youth issues to the advisory committee. G. Length of Term: The Advisory Committee is to report to the Mayor and council on issues affecting youth no later than eight months from the date of formation. This committee will make recommendations about how council can assist with youth issues and at that time make any request for the continuation of the Youth Advisory Committee. H. Membership: The Youth Advisory Committee shall comprise a membership at large as well as an executive committee. The general committee will be initially comprised from a list of volunteers that have shown interest in this endeavour. Executive membership to the committee may adhere to the following general structure: a) Two: [2] Co- Chairpersons: 1 male representative 1 female representative b) Seven: [7] General executive positions will be fulfilled through a cross- section of interested student representatives from secondary schools as well as from various youth groups throughout the community as per attached Appendix A. c) One: [1] Mayor and/or representative of the Mayor’s Office d) One: [1] Member from City Council The executive committee will be selected with consideration of diversity. This initiative will be fulfilled through a cross- section of students from Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board,Greater Essex County District School Board, Le Couseil scolaire de district des ecoles Catholique du Sud- Quest as well as representation from local youth agencies. Please see attached Appendix A for a listing of youth agencies in Windsor. These factors are necessary to provide a representative committee of all youth in the City of Windsor. 4. FINANCIAL MATTERS: In forming the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee a project budget is estimated and requested in the amount of $2,000, budget allocated $400/ward. Website development and maintenance $250 Survey and research – flyers/mailings $800 Committee Meetings (event planning/venue funding) $700 Miscellaneous Supplies $250 5. COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN The specific purpose and terms of reference for the Youth Advisory Committee meet the objective of responsive effective local government, which further contributes to a safe, caring, diverse community. 6. CONSULTATIONS: Meeting for the preparation of the Mayor’s Youth Town Hall were held with the management of Devonshire Mall and representatives from the Greater Essex County District School Board, Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board and youth agencies within the City of Windsor. Further discussions will be held with all school boards and youth agencies in the area to assist in the formation of the Youth Advisory Committee. 7. CONCLUSION: Youth are the next generation of decision makers and are the future of our city. Our leaders want youth to realize that the difference they make now will help build a better future for them and that the decisions made today will shape the future of this community. As a result, the Mayor and Council want the voice of youth in the City of Windsor to be heard to address issues affecting the youth of our community. To accomplish this it is recommended that a Youth Advisory Committee be established and report to Council on youth issues.