The Governor General’s Youth Programme
When she was installed as the 27th governor general of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean vowed to transform her office into a space where the voices of youth could be heard. She promised to work towards making the institution more meaningful to young Canadians by demonstrating the impact it can have on their daily lives.
As the first Black governor general of Canada and as a former refugee, Her Excellency seeks to ensure that her office is particularly accessible and relevant to youth who experience social exclusion. Key to this commitment is her earnest desire to develop opportunities for young Canadians from across the country to build networks of solidarity and compassion that bridge regional, racial, ethnic, linguistic, gender, class and other differences.
Her Excellency is convinced that youth must be recognized as the leaders of today, as much as the leaders of tomorrow, as they are actively bringing about change in their communities, throughout Canadian society and around the world right now.
To achieve her vision, the Governor General has travelled to every province and territory to meet with Canadians. During her official visits, she has met with a number of youth groups to understand the challenges they face and to highlight the work they are doing to improve their communities.
During her official and State visits overseas, Michaëlle Jean has sought to ensure her focus on youth is reflected. She has included several young delegates in her accompanying delegations, has visited numerous youth organizations and projects in Latin America and Africa, and has used the visits as opportunities to strengthen linkages between Canadian youth and youth overseas.
Her Excellency has been particularly interested in the ways in which young urban artists are using their talents for the common good. As such, she has inaugurated the Governor General’s Urban Arts Forums. This initiative assembles urban artists, Order of Canada recipients, decision-makers, and community members in dynamic discussions on the way the urban arts can foster social inclusion and engage youth, particularly marginalized ones, in building better communities and neighbourhoods (see: “Hip Hop” at www.citizenvoices.gg.ca/en/videos). To date, seven very touching discussions have taken place with over 700 young urban artists in Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal, as well as Salvador and Rio, Brazil, and Bronkhorstpruit, South Africa.
While these discussions highlighted disturbing circumstances facing youth, such as gang violence and substance abuse, they have also demonstrated that young people are working tirelessly to bring about substantial improvements in their neighbourhoods. In one case, the discussions galvanized an entire community to work with public officials to close crack houses and increase opportunities for disadvantaged youth.
As part of her mandate, the Governor General has participated in and convened many other successful youth activities:
- first national student forum at Rideau Hall on racism, entitled “From the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act to the Elimination of Racial Discrimination”
- first official meeting between the National Youth Secretariat and the National Youth Council of Brazil, the Canadian government and Canadian youth engagement delegates in Brasilia, Brazil
- visit to the Quebec provincial penitentiary of Bordeaux, where she met with 20 young inmates to discuss how they were taking ownership of their lives through the arts and media
- meeting with youth at the Side Door Youth Centre in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where she heard how the centre’s staff is offering an alternative to gangs, suicide and substance abuse
- discussion with troubled youth at Phoenix House in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she observed how young people are being assisted by the centre’s programs
- visit to Maison Dauphine in Quebec City, where she met with homeless youth and learned about the various services offered by the multipurpose centre
- meeting with participants of the Katimavik exchange program at a YMCA in Regina, Saskatchewan; and
- public discussion in New Brunswick about the importance of La Francophonie in Canada.
To foster greater awareness of the issues discussed during her visits across Canada and overseas, and to allow young Canadians to share their ideas, dreams and aspirations, a new component, entitled Citizen Voices, has been added to the Governor General’s Web site: www.citizenvoices.gg.ca.
The Governor General is looking forward to meeting with more young Canadians over the next three years of her mandate.
