This was a youth-led project! The youth team helped to gather the information to create the Youth Se
The Youth Services Plan was created by youth to make sure that municipal programs and services are meeting the needs of the youth aged 13–24.
The youth team created the following strategic visions.
1. Recreation positively impacts the mental health and physical well-being of youth. Mental Health is a very important issue for youth, and research supports positive outcomes to youth’s mental health when they participate in physical activity, recreation, and leadership programs.
2. All youth should be able to access recreation services. Low cost, inclusive services serve youth. All youth should be able access services regardless of their academic, cultural, or financial background.
3. The municipality should offer friendly and welcoming environments for youth. Physical spaces need to be friendly and welcoming to youth. A lot of youth stated they have anxiety when entering a recreation facility for the first time. Steps need to be taken to educate staff on youth and youth engagement.
4. Services should be diverse and geared toward youth interests. Some youth feel that they are too old to try new sports or activities. Offering “try it programs” lets youth experience new sports and activities. There should be more opportunities to take “non-standard” art classes, and drop-in programs should offer more than just a single activity.
5. Ensure that all youth are aware of the services offered by the municipality. Marketing and promotion needs to stay ahead of the trends , and youth services should be marketed directly to youth (in addition to parents and guardians). Youth webpage and social media tools are the best way to spread program and service information.
Download the PDF of the Youth Service Plan Summary. It contains the list of goals that will help make the plan come true.
How does Halifax define youth?
Youth Services in the municipality works with people aged 13 to 24. For the purposes of the Youth Plan, the team grouped the ages of 13–15, 16–18, and 19–24. There are differences between these age ranges that require specific and intentional services.
For information on the youth plan, please contact Amanda Reddick, Community Youth Developer supporting the project. Amanda can be reached at youth@halifax.ca, 902.817.3923 or on twitter: @hfxyouth