By: Hana Val, Leaders in Training program assistant
This march, BYTE is setting in motion a new program to develop young Leaders in Training from across the territory. BYTE is uniting the Yukon through the most powerful weapon at our disposal: our youth. For unity to become a reality between the communities of the Yukon, community outreach projects such as this one are essential.
BYTE has planned a weekend-long workshop for two youth from each community where they will be taught key facilitation and leadership skills. The objective: giving our territory’s youth the skills to become great future leaders. This workshop will be held at the Yukon Inn during the first week of March. It will focus on instructing these youth on how to facilitate workshops of their own, teaching them BYTE’s many workshop topics, and giving them the tools they need in order to become effective youth facilitators.
The youth will all be encouraged to organize programs in their home communities after the workshop has taken place, and will assist in the facilitation of future workshops when members of BYTE’s facilitation team travel to their community. They will also become youth advisors on BYTE’s Youth Advisory Committee, in order to maintain more regular communication.
BYTE will also be holding a workshop for any adults who want to learn how to become effective youth allies. The chaperones who will travel with the youth from outside Whitehorse are welcome to attend, as well as anyone else who is interested.
Ideally, this project will provide these youth with an opportunity to become more engaged in their community. BYTE hopes that these youth, and their adult allies, will come away with pride in their home communities and hope for the future.
(This article was written for Yukon College’s TRACKS magazine)