Impact

Young Leaders to the Table

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

We want to make sure the voice of youth is heard across Canada as related to the SDGs. Kids Code Jeunesse has created a method to gather kids together in a series of roundtables that gives kids a chance to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions - particularly as related to the climate, environment, and nature to start.

 

TARGET GROUP:

We are looking to gather perspectives from youth ages 5-18 across Ottawa, with a particular focus on the 8-12 year old age range. We will look to utilize our FinLit attendee list from the previous years and if possible, work with Junior Achievement to determine other relevant schools/classrooms who are interested. We will also take recommendations from our Ottawa Hub who knows teachers/classrooms in this age range.

 

PROPOSED SOLUTION:

Roundtable discussions are interactive conversations, usually held with small groups of experts. A specific topic, like a problem to solve or a question to answer, is raised, discussed, and next steps or actions are agreed on. Traditionally, these are used by corporations, thought leaders or policy-makers. The problems that our planet is facing are too big to rely on someone else to fix. We want to give kids a chance to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions.

 

With COVID-19 still looming over us, these virtual forums will bring small groups of kids together to connect and flex their brains with some big questions. It’s a chance to socialize, to practice leadership skills, but most importantly - to be heard.

 

The roundtables will be moderated by the Ottawa Hub and joined by Kids Code Jeunesse observers, and capture insights by young Canadian climate leaders. Topics of discussion will include:


  • The climate, environment and nature

  • AI, AI ethics, and algorithm literacy

  • STEM and innovation

  • The future of education and schools

 

MILESTONES AND TIMELINES:


  • November 2020: Receive approval from GS Ottawa Hub to move forward with the project

  • Late November 2020: Begin planning for the first Young Leaders to the Table roundtable including setting program logistics and connecting with a school/teacher to secure interested kids

  • December 2020 or January 2021: GS Ottawa Hub to lead first Young Leaders to the Table about climate and the environment

  • January 2021: Evaluate results and findings of first roundtable and determine schedule for additional roundtables around the same or different SDG topics

RESOURCES NEEDED:

  • We hope to have 1-2 other members of the Hub join our project team to plan and market our sessions and to capture roundtable findings.

SHORT-TERM GOALS / RESULTS:


  • Community / Society Benefits: Capture findings and insights from kids to share outlines with the Canadian public and policy makers. Include kids’ thoughts and guidance in reports to share with Kids Code Jeunesse government funders (multiple agencies of the federal government.

  • Youth Benefits: In the short-term, we hope to foster youth leadership, confidence and civic engagement, through peer-networking, knowledge dissemination (on identified topics), and an opportunity to contribute to a policy paper.

LONG-TERM CHANGE:



  • Community benefits: Engage Ottawa youth in discussions about the SDGs beginning first with a focus on Climate Change and Future of Work SDGs, informing them about topics relevant to their world and ensuring the voice of Ottawa youth is included in policy discussions and larger discourse. Through the initial discussion of Future of Education/Employment and Climate Change, youth will learn to make connections with other SDGs. Future thematic discussions can be organized with the youth which will lead to further discussions on other SDGs. Given that the SDGs are connected, we hope to use these initial sessions to spark youth interest in learning about the interconnectivity of and importance of SDGs beyond these initial few. However, to start, we are focusing only on SDGs related to climate change (Goal 13) and future of work (goal 8).


  • Organizational benefits: Strengthen Shapers’ connection to Ottawa youth and kids and increase our own brand awareness.


  • Youth Benefits: In the long term, we hope that this program builds active and engaged young community leaders.

POTENTIAL METRICS:


  • Number of people mobilized? 3 to 4 Ottawa Shapers per session

  • Number of Shapers that participated? TBD

  • Number of community participants per event TBD (estimated 5-8 kids per session, 1-2 sessions

  • planned at this point)

  • Proportion of youth that report greater knowledge and understanding of the ‘Future of Work’ and/or ‘Protecting the Planet'

  • Proportion of youth that report developing social networks by attending this session.

  • Proportion of youth that report a stronger sense of civic engagement after attending this session.

COLLABORATORS:

 

  • Kids Code Jeunesse

Project by

Ottawa Hub