Authors (add your name here):

Ryan Hayes

Preamble

Developing Policy Statements

- Accessible language in policy
- Formal statement of ideas
- A guide to help government make decisions
- Involve organizations/communities that are affected by policy statements
- Go back to consultations/documents resources
- Presenting it to participants/public as check points to see if you got it right

1. Education

Resolutions

Guiding Statement: Everyone has the right to a high quality, publicly-funded education in an empowering and anti-discriminatory environment.

Access

Every student, regardless of province, territory, or country of origin, deserves universal access to education. All tuition fees for post secondary education and user fees for public education should be phased out. All governments should achieve this by outlawing user fees for elementary and secondary schools and by rolling back post secondary tuition fees by 4% annually starting immediately.

Anti-Discrimination

Every student deserves an education in which their unique characteristics are not only accepted but also reflected in the curriculum and school activities. Students should be encouraged wherever possible to identify issues in their class, school, and society and analyze them within an anti-oppressive framework.

Anti-Privatization

Every student deserves an education that is uninhibited by private interests and enables them to develop strong critical thinking abilities in relation to the communities they live in. Schools should promote the principles of civic engagement at an early age rather than immersing students in corporate messages and consumerism.

Empowerment

Every student deserves to be empowered through their education. High dropout rates, the existence of academic streaming and elitism, and insufficient guidance services are indicative of a need for curriculum and programming relevant to individual needs and inclusion in decision-making processes.

Quality

Every student deserves a high quality education in which all of the above is true and in which facilities are in a state of good repair, class sizes are small, teaching and support staff are adequately trained to deal with diverse needs, and arts and recreation are a daily part of school routines.

Discussion Notes

Problems

• Ontario tuition is going up, grants are unavailable to part-time students and middle-income families
• Also going up in New Brunswick (Saint John), Alberta (Edmonton)
• Saint John is losing trained workers, but has a tuition rebate for students staying to work in province
• Vancouver is also losing trained workers, but to retirement
• Huge loans are a deterrent and therefore a barrier to access
• Transit, especially in rural areas, and living on campus are also prohibitive costs
• Academic streaming and elitism within special programs such as AP and IB
• Lack of adequately trained guidance counselors, particularly for newcomers and marginalized youth
• Toronto neglects ESL, recreation, and maintenance of facilities, faces increased privatization of public schools
• Students learn to be consumers before engaged citizens
• Nike fields and Pepsi machines give provinces excuses for underfunding education and make the system increasingly dependent on private dollars
• Dropout rates are much too high in Ontario, GED not accessible enough
• Lack if enrichment opportunities or support for special needs in rural areas

Solutions

• Increase accessibility of post secondary education through a combination of tuition decreases and grants
• More programs like York U’s high school program for marginalized students and U of T’s day care
• Visits from university students to high school students
• More specialized guidance counselors
• Improve professional development in areas such as equity training
• Diversify perspectives in curriculum
• Empower students in curriculum and decision-making processes like design your own course program in Toronto
• Strong network or union of secondary students
• Support high needs students rather than kicking them out of school
• Expand apprenticeship, co-op, internship opportunities
• Encourage and provide opportunities for meaningful volunteerism
• Return extra-curricular activities like art and recreation that create bonds to school environment and discourage dropping out
• Create an act that governs PSE on a federal level

2. Opportunities for Youth

Resolutions

Youth have a right to a fair and equitable post-secondary funding process
Youth have a right to formal and effective representation by themselves at any level of government or institution
Youth have a right to equal services irrespective of geographic location
Youth have a right to be represented in a positive light

Discussion Notes

Problems

• Lack of employment and educational opportunities in many regions
• 2 jobs available per 1 person in Newfoundland
• Barriers: Sexual orientation, gender, geography, age, race, class, size, ability, region, money, sex

• Aboriginal youth face greater barriers
• Lack of access to programs due to geography
• Hard to unite young people for 1 cause
• Money à Education à Employment à Money

Solutions

• Improve the student loans process because far too many young people cannot access any money for education
• Have mandatory anti-oppression sessions for city councillors and to people who are representing the public
• Provide training for youth that can help them get more meaningful jobs
• Policy makers should involve youth as partners and provide them with leadership opportunities such as youth councils and youth councillors while ensuring regional youth representation
• Create positive spaces and programs with equal access
• Allow young people to try new things and to discover new skills
• Create better information services for young people to access
  

3. Environment

Resolutions

Youth have a right to low-emission public modes of transportation that are affordable, accessible, and safe to interact with their community
Youth have a right to clean and green recreation space that is sustainably funded and supports community-building
Youth have a right to environmentally friendly options that restore and maintain clean air, land, and water

Discussion Notes

Problems

• Transit issues: accessibility for suburbs, frequency of service, cost, underfunding
• Lack of (accessible) parks and green space for recreation, health, relaxing, and creating a “clean and beautiful city”
• Cities are not bike and walk friendly
• Environmental degradation as a result of illegal dumping by corporations
• Healthy food is not affordable

Solutions

• Preserve green space in urban areas and environmentally sensitive areas
• More community gardens and neighbourhood cleaning initiatives are needed
• More bike lanes and walking paths are needed
• Long term funding arrangements, greater public consultation, and improvements to under-serviced areas are needed for public transit
• Environmental sustainability should be a priority in all decisions
• Harsher fines for illegal dumping by corporations
• Create incentives for energy efficient and environmentally friendly homes and buildings
• Mandate that large buildings and institutions take energy saving measures

4. Safe and Healthy Communities

Resolution

Discussion Notes

Problems

• Obesity and health issues
• Lack of affordable healthy food, access to doctors, and walk-in clinics
• Lack of intercultural approaches to healthy living
• Preserving heritage (Newfoundland)
• Accessibility and affordability of recreation and programs
• Sustainability – too many one-off projects
• Youth and police relations: lack of trust, youth scared and angry due to discrimination and racial profiling
• Formal police complaints system is ineffective and inaccessible as well as being intimidating

Solutions

• Education for healthy living as a holistic activity in communities through formal and informal institutions
• Keep community centres open for extended hours for youth
• Create more beautification initiatives
• Reclaiming public space
• Support arts education, art therapy funding
• Ensure that there are proper facilities for mental health services with advisors
• Create food security through community gardens
• Promote preventative measures to crime that address the root causes of crime such as poverty
• Build community relations with police through forums, youth advisory bodies, and community involvement with youth as partners not photo opportunities

5. Arts, Culture, and Recreation

Resolutions
Youth have a right to participate in recreation and art activities that are affordable and accessible.
Youth have a right to access recreation that promotes a healthy and active lifestyle.

Discussion Notes

Problems

• Definition of arts problem-ridden – can take the form of anything
• Space for youth to engage in art is limited
• Need an inventory of free/affordable spaces
• Many community centres are underfunded and understaffed
• Many youth are not able to access community centres

Solutions

• Build community capacity through arts
• Use arts and culture in social justice initiatives
• Make arts and culture programs for youth accessible and affordable
• Create and support programs for and by youth
• Create and support more public multi-purpose facilities that can support a wide range of programs (ie. using schools as a space where various recreation activities can be held).
• These facilities should be small and numerous and scattered throughout the city to maintain youth accessibility
• Lower transit costs so youth can access services

Appendix

Research and Resources

- More policy development done by youth
- Policy recommendations should be able to take on different forms
- Use of theatre and art should be used as data and a resources
- Intergenerational learning
- Centre for Policy Alternatives
- Canadian Council for Social Development