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WEST HANTS, N.S. — A West Hants councillor is leading the charge to get more youth engaged in municipal affairs.
Coun. Paul Morton said the idea of forming a youth council was first brought up during strategic planning sessions and he agreed to champion the idea.
“It's a work in progress. The thought is there, now we're going to put action to it,” said Morton.
The Hantsport resident said he'll be working alongside Warden Abraham Zebian to iron out the details. However, he said they will be looking to hear from youths ages 13 and up.
“I know talking to my son, he sees things a lot different than I do,” said Morton.
By creating a youth council, Morton hopes to open the dialogue between municipal leaders and the younger generation.
“We may think something is important to us but is it going to be important to the youth?” asked Morton. “How do they see our future panning out?”
Morton said they hope to develop guidelines for the council in the coming weeks and plan to stop by a few schools in November during Municipal Awareness Week in hopes of sparking some interest.
“I think having the youth involved with their ideas will show that we're interested in what they're thinking, not just what the older generation is thinking,” said Morton. “Maybe the youth will come forward, start voting, take things over and start doing things on their own.”
More details on how to apply to be on the youth council will be made public in the coming months.
