Success!

Success! CAYFO reps and friends have successfully convinced the City of Ottawa to keep its dismal 29.000$ budget for the Ottawa youth Commission! This group of young activists has as a mandate to get to real opinions and express children and youth concerns to the city. They speak to services and activities that affect their lives. So in a city of close to a million people with approximately 150.000 young people is 29 grand even enough to get to real opinions, those from vulnerable and disenfranchised youth? Why did the city even consider cutting fund to a program that delivers Children and Youth basic human rights? Was the coucil simply testing Ottawa’s youth response to an unjustifiable budget cut? In 1989, when Canada and most of the world’s countries signed on the Convention of the Rights of the Child at the United Nations, we as a society accepted that Children and Youth HAVE a right to be heard and listened to on issues that affect them. (It’s Article 12, look it up, it should be a given.) Why then was the only Municipally recognised youth committee in need to fight the city for survival? Oh I’m sure Larry was saying “Oh those kids are so cute to be sitting there and presenting their ideas at the grownups table". Can city hall be any more condescending? In any case, Thanks for being so kind in letting us have some rights.