Weyburn's City Council gained a valuable asset last night. Preceding the regular minutes of the Council meeting, a new Youth Council would be appointed from students within the community. This body of students will learn the ropes of running a city by attending future meetings, engaging with their community, and sharing their opinions on the actual matters at hand in an official capacity. While the Youth Council may not have the authority to enact change of their own accord, their voice will be heard within the Council Chambers and recognized as the voice of their peers. 

"I'm really excited to work with this new team, they're all quite talented. Everyone has opinions and insights that will help our Youth Council this year, and I'm excited to see this team grow."

Jackson Stadnek is a first-year member of the Youth Council who is proud to be the voice for Weyburn's youth. 

"I know that some of my friends have a lot of great ideas," he said. "They just don't know how to talk about them or who to bring them to. So, I've been asking them! And you know, we're talking about what the youth wants this city to be, and you can only really get that from the youth. So, I think it's important that we have a way to talk about these things."

Grade 10 student Harper Williams shared that it's the hands-on learning that has her most excited to be part of the team. 

"We're here to learn about how a local government operates. I kind of struggled with that part of school, so just learning how everything works from the inside will be beneficial. I'll also be improving some of my own skills like communication, public speaking, things like that, and I enjoy the chance to get out into the community. I feel like that will bring a lot more opportunities for me to learn all sorts of new things."

The only member remaining from previous terms was Grade 12 student Nikola Erasmus, now serving as Youth Mayor for the student-run council. She plans to use her previous 2 years of experience to aid her peers with integrating into their new roles.

"I'm just really looking forward to helping the new kids coming in this year, to share with them all that I've learned so far," she said. "I'm really excited to work with this new team, they're all quite talented. Everyone has opinions and insights that will help our Youth Council this year, and I'm excited to see this team grow."

Erasmus added that the prospect of having a hand in bringing positive change to Weyburn is an intriguing one, and that any students wanting to learn more about how a local government operates should join while they still have the chance.

"I've learned a lot about how governments communicate, and before, I wasn't aware of the input they get from the community," she shared. "I didn't know they had all these events where citizens can help them decide what they are going to do with the budget, or what they are going to do with bylaws, stuff like that. I think anyone who is lacking an understanding of how our local government works should join the Youth Council next year, or as soon as they're old enough."

The 2023/2024 Weyburn Youth Council will consist of:

  • Nikola Erasmus – Youth Mayor, Gr. 12
  • Mason Sidloski – Youth Councillor/Secretary, Gr. 12
  • Yuan Presto – Youth Councillor, Gr. 11
  • Jackson Stadnek – Youth Councillor, Gr. 11
  • Harper Williams – Youth Councillor, Gr. 10

Keep an eye out for the Youth Council at upcoming meetings and events and join them in contributing to the constant improvement of our community. 

Youth Council(From left to right) Nikola Erasmus, Jackson Stadnek, Mason Sidloski, Yuan Presto, and Harper Williams following their address to Weyburn City Council.

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