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The Surrey Civic Coalition believes Surrey should expand its Youth Advisory Council and give it greater responsibility.

SCC candidates Steve Wood (council) and Ram Sidhu (school trustee) advocate the Youth Advisory Council be a joint committee of City council and Board of Education, and include an elected representative from both groups as well as youth from throughout Surrey.

Most other neighbouring jurisdictions, such as Langley and Delta have youth advisory committees, but New Westminster is a good model because theirs is a shared responsibility of both council and the school district.

Wood served on council in Campbell River in the ’90s and was the city’s representative
on the Joint Liaison Committee which included the city, school board and North Island College.

“I can’t believe this is not happening in Surrey. This is another important way our two elected groups should work together,” Wood said.

Surrey has a Joint Liaison Committee, according to SCC School Trustee Ijaz Chatha, but that committee meets only once a year and only discusses the lack of funding for Surrey schools.

Said Sidhu, “During the campaign the youth we have met have told us they feel their issues and voices are not being heard.”

Sidhu and Wood said the committee would start with three initial priorities, which could then be expanded upon based on the feedback of youth. An SCC Youth Advisory Council would be tasked with:

• Making better use of schools during non-instructional time;

• Exploring youth safety issues and anti-domestic violence programs;

* Recommending better transportation options for youth.

Trustee candidate Sidhu said, “It doesn’t make sense for us to lock up schools and fields after school and on weekends. Schools should continue to the hub of each neighborhood community.

“A second issue is around safety for youth. Youth feel that issues of bullying, cyber bullying and relationship violence is very prevalent and that we need new ideas and perspectives to tackle these systemic issues.

“Through the involvement of youth in the planning process we can really learn which programs are working to address these concerns and what they think can be done better,” said Sidhu, who was a founding member of the Save Our Daughters Coalition.

Council candidate Wood said a lack of transportation availability continues to be a hinderance for youth. He said there is insufficient bus service between post-secondary campuses as well as in the evening.

“There isn’t enough service after 9pm in most parts of Surrey. For hundreds of youth, either leaving work or classes, the present situation poses a safety issue as well as a transportation issue,” he said.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Wood  604-580-2535
Ram Sidhu  604-354-8652

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