Future North, A Network for Youth.
DISTRICT OF SUDBURY MANITOULIN, ON- The Future North Leadership Table and Youth Expert Panel are excited to announce the official launch of Future North: a five-year initiative dedicated to improving available resources and opportunities for youth and young adults in the District of Sudbury and Manitoulin.
Future North is committed to working side by side with young people in the community, to understand their experiences, and to work to influence change, so together we can improve available resources and create opportunities in our community.
“I think youth engagement is important because it helps youth gain confidence and gives them opportunities; it also allows them to use their voice and prepare for their future”, said Mikayla Oommen, Youth Ambassador, Future North.
Future North is made up of youth of all backgrounds and life experiences. It’s committed to the statement, “Nothing About Us, Without Us”. The District of Sudbury & Manitoulin was chosen by the Tamarack Institute as one of 13 communities to launch this initiative, and the program could not have been launched at a better or more critical time.
As youth struggle with issues such as mental health, addiction, and key life transitions, these have been magnified given the current COVID-19 pandemic. A key initiative for the delivery of the program is the Community Map / Carte communautaire on futurenorth.ca / futurdunord.ca.
The Map was designed to create a central, virtual location for youth services, resources and activities within the District of Sudbury and Manitoulin.
“Let’s talk about youth services the way we talk about College and University pathways. We need to be talking from a young age about what is out there for youth.”- Megan Simpson, Youth Expert Panel Partner.
“In our conversations with youth, a recurring theme was that it was extremely hard to find and access help for issues they may be experiencing. Whether that was for mental health, a job placement, or simply for a place to be with like-minded individuals, there wasn’t a central location they could go to find someone who can help them. It was our goal from the beginning to make accessing these services easy for our youth – in a user-friendly and appealing way”, states Nicole Minialoff, Program Manager, Future North.
"If I had to describe Future North in one word it would be impactful. It (Future North) has accomplished quite a bit in a very short period. It has been able to bring community leaders and youth together to drive grassroots approaches to issues that are relevant to our youth and impactful for youth” says Chantal Carre, General Manager-YMCA, and Co-Chairperson of the Future North Leadership Table.
As part of the launch, Future North participants will be travelling the district from October 14-16 to bring the program directly to youth and service providers. Their travels will be documented on their social media via Instagram and Facebook.
Future North is part of the Communities Building Youth Futures Initiative. This initiative is funded by the Federal Youth Employment Skills Strategy (YESS) and Tamarack Institute (2019-2024). The Tamarack Institute is a connected force for community change. They turn theory into action by connecting people into networks to share and learn and work together, and by working one-on-one with organizations to help advance their specific agendas. Communities Building Youth Futures is a five-year project to work with up to 13 communities across Canada to develop Collective Impact, system-wide solutions for youth as they build and act upon plans for their future.
Visit www.futurenorth.ca for more information.
Media Contact:
Nicole Minialoff
Program Manager
Future North
Communities Building Youth Futures
