‘It is positively been an fascinating expertise thus far, seeing how the municipal authorities is run, seeing all of the shifting components that really make our metropolis perform and to see how they impression our day by day lives’
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Regardless of his political acumen, Calgary’s mayor for a day insists he’s not fascinated with working for the true factor sometime.
Shay Spencer, a Grade 11 scholar at Dr. E.P. Scarlett Excessive Faculty, was chosen as Calgary’s mayor for a day after successful the annual essay contest placed on by Youth Central, a non-profit group that seeks to empower Calgary’s youth.
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The competition tasked high-school-aged contributors with submitting an essay that highlighted three solutions to enhance their metropolis.
Spencer determined to take part within the contest after seeing an advert for it on his highschool’s Instagram web page.
The 16-year-old’s essay featured concepts for assuaging Calgary’s housing disaster by increasing zoning bylaws and slicing crimson tape; encouraging youth to volunteer at native public parks; and growing public transit availability for youth, notably these in suburban communities who depend on automobiles to get round.
On account of successful the essay contest, Spencer acquired to spend Tuesday at metropolis corridor, shadowing Mayor Jyoti Gondek, assembly with metropolis workers and attending the town’s government committee assembly.
Collaborating within the midday scrum with media after watching a quarterly replace on the Inexperienced Line LRT challenge, Spencer stated his takeaway of being “mayor for a day” was how expansive Calgary’s municipal authorities is.
“It’s positively been an fascinating expertise thus far, seeing how the municipal authorities is run, seeing all of the shifting components that really make our metropolis perform and to see how they impression our day by day lives,” he stated.
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However whereas he was excited to share his concepts on the right way to enhance the town and that he’s fascinated with each politics and economics, Spencer stated the expertise confirmed him he doesn’t hope to be Calgary’s mayor sooner or later.
“It looks like a fairly expansive job — an particularly anxious job, I’d say, simply having to cope with all these native points round our metropolis,” he stated.
Youth engagement in civic points ‘by way of the roof’ since 2020
The mayor for a day essay contest is run by way of the Mayor’s Youth Council, which is one in all eight applications that Youth Central provides.
The competition has been ongoing for over a decade, in keeping with Michelle Hodgins, a coordinator with the non-profit group.
“What we do is simply let youth know it is a manner so that you can get your voice heard,” she stated on Tuesday. “That is a simple method to join along with your metropolis and you’ll submit it on-line, share your concepts and share the belongings you see as essential points for the subsequent technology of Calgarians.”
Curiosity amongst Calgary’s youth in political points has elevated dramatically within the final 4 years, Hodgins stated. She famous that Youth Central’s volunteer base has elevated from 472 members to greater than 1,700 since 2020.
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As non-voters, partaking in native authorities by way of different means is a manner for youth to really feel concerned within the political course of, she added.
“I’d say that curiosity in metropolis points is thru the roof for us, and the mayor for a day contest is an effective way to place these concepts down on paper, actually take into consideration the highest issues that matter to you after which motion out how you’ll see them come to fruition,” she stated.
What makes the competition notably fascinating, in keeping with Hodgins, is that the concepts the contributors convey ahead are at all times altering, however are often a mirrored image of the instances.
“It’s not stunning to see housing and transportation on the radar, as a result of as we all know, for Calgarians of all ages, these are among the largest points affecting us proper now,” she stated.
“(Youngsters) are very dialed into what’s afflicting them of their lives proper now and so they’re capable of switch that out and take into account the opposite components of the group which may be needing that assist too.”
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