Smoky Lake youth council is fired up for youth activities

By Irene van der Kloet

When Rachelle Amyotte started her job as FCSS coordinator in the spring of 2022, one of her goals was to establish a youth council. She connected with the regional schools and shared her ideas. Twelve youths came forward that wanted to participate, ten girls and two boys aged twelve to nineteen. In December, the youth council was doing a sleepover at Nekinan House in Smoky Lake. This event was not only fun but also a teambuilding moment where they shared their passion for the youth council, why they joined, and what they want to accomplish. Evelyn came forward with: ”I joined youth council because I wanted a voice and to create activities for people to do because everything is boring,” to which Isabella added:” It gives me something to do, and the town needs more activities for youth, and it looks good on a resume.” Alexis felt like there was nothing to do for people her age, “and I can help get stuff in town that my peers and myself would want to do. Then youth would want to be more involved, and it will be beneficial for youth and families. Currently, the most exciting thing I could do is go to the grocery store and buy a piece of bread.” Another young lady mentioned that “the first time Rachelle came in and talked about it, I was interested as I love everything that has to do with teams. I love sports and think it was a great opportunity for people to give youth more say”. These reasons tie into the values of this youth council: fun, teamwork and community while maintaining the Golden Rules to respect each other, listen to each other, be responsible, work together and have fun. The current youth council members come from different schools in the region, which means it is a regional council aiming to have activities in the area. There are solid plans for events like the winter and summer Olympics. “I think it’s going to happen this summer,” one of the girls adds. Other ideas are a skating competition or building a snowman, and then the summer is more for activities such as scavenger hunts or sandcastle making and balloon fights. The plan was to have a Valentine’s dance, but that doesn’t fit the regional agenda; Rachelle comments: ”There is a Ukrainian gala on February 18, and on the 11th, there is an archery tournament, so we are slowly running out of weekends in February. So maybe we’ll do an 80s theme dance, not around Valentine’s but in March. If we host a community dance, we could probably do one every two months, but we need to test the interest ”. This council, with a chair, two vice chairs, a secretary and a treasurer, is fired up to organize that and more. There are solid plans for fundraising events like a draw at a dance or a dessert auction. As not all members are in the same school, there is plenty of opportunity to connect with other kids and get them interested. And Smoky Lake County would like to get involved as well. The next goal is to establish a youth centre so youth have a go-to place in the region, a place “by youth for youth.” This Nekinan sleepover weekend is all about having fun together and, quite likely, not getting much sleep. A karaoke event is planned for this evening, as well as America’s Got Talent, bannock and pizza making, and a white elephant gift exchange. Nekinan House is more than happy to host these enthusiastic young people. Smoky Lake Youth Council has a Facebook page and is on Instagram and Tik Tok.