The youth consultation held by the City of Ottawa flopped like a dying fish when only two young people showed up to provide input on the plan being made for the city’s future.
One of these was Nathan Hauch, the Somerset Ward youth councillor, who was obligated to be there. That lowers the tally of willing youth participants to one. Two was bad, one is appalling.
The problem wasn’t lack of advertising. The city went out of its way to promote the event through distribution of flyers, newspaper ads, phone calls to agencies that deal personally with youth and reminders through the various student associations in colleges and universities around the city.
Refreshments were also provided. This was obviously kept under wraps because food always attracts a minimum of five people to any gathering. The two keen youth who made an appearance enjoyed an abundance of cookies, pop, juice and coffee.
While quality invitations and tasty refreshments may be key to many gatherings, this embarrassment goes to show they’re not everything.
Perhaps someone spread a rumour that the meeting room was quarantined, or perhaps a large group of students was on its way to the meeting and got side-tracked by a sudden urge to volunteer and give back to the community.
For some eternal optimists it would be difficult to swallow that the real reason for people’s absence is that today’s youth are completely apathetic towards the future of their city.
This consultation was the first meeting arranged specifically to gather input from youth on the city’s future. Due to the insignificant turn-out, such a meeting isn’t likely to re-occur any time soon.
However, the more community-minded young people are lucky – the city is not giving up. If youth won’t go to the meetings, the meetings may go to the youth.
Somerset Ward Coun. Elisabeth Arnold hosted the youth consultation. In the future, she plans on going to schools and other places where youth are and do the consultations there.
“ If we were to learn a lesson from this it would be to do a consultation where the youth are,” says Arnold.
That’s generous. By the same token, if all the adults decide to forego meetings, the councillors will have to start doing home visits.
Like almost everything else in life these days, the consultations have a Web site where interested parties who haven’t attended the meetings can still provide input. The homepage is located at ottawa2020.com.
Young people are forever complaining that they’re being ignored, that nobody pays attention to what they have to say. Well, here was an opportunity for them to have their say. Unfortunately, they flubbed it. By not showing up, the youth of Somerset ward have relinquished their right to ever again squawk about being ignored.
—Stephanie Lewis