2022 in Review : National Youth Council

During the year 2022, members of Big Brothers Big Sisters National Youth Mentoring Advisory Council – or NYMAC – continued to meet each month to create innovative ways to engage with our local communities, the National Board, and one another. It was a year of healing and growth for us all. With a transition back to in-person community activities, NYMAC members demonstrated a steadfast resolve for positive change, which led to much progress.

NYMAC members have grown our online presence significantly in the past year. We have been featured on North America’s largest broadcasting radio (Zoomer Radio), created several podcast episodes, and launched an Instagram page to connect with the community (@bbbsc_nymac). The youth council also continued sharing blog posts, mainly covering the importance of mentorship and its positive impact on both mentors and mentees.

Over the past year, NYMAC members have met and collaborated with several local and national organizations. We met with: Mental Health International to help them build an independent consulting and advisory group at the national level on matters related to youth mental health; the National Youth Bike Council to share knowledge about council operations and past projects with potential for future collaboration; Live Different, to advise on how they can build their own Youth Advisory Council; and Common Consulting on the culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The NYMAC governance committee had its debut and has begun overseeing team-building activities and onboarding new members, among other things. The council welcomed new members with open arms growing the NYMAC family further. We continued to foster a positive and inclusive environment within the group through fun ice-breakers, regular check-ins, and monthly awards celebrating the outstanding commitment of their members to the community.

Now that 2022 has passed, it is time to kick off the new year by hitting the ground running, and NYMAC already has a couple of things in the works, including new events, new podcasts, a youth grant, and so much more. NYMAC members will also be attending the BBBSC National Convention in Winnipeg this summer, providing input on our BBBS pillars of Innovation, Growth, and Engagement to ignite the full potential of Canada’s youth. If you’d like to sponsor getting one of us to the convention, please see this page for details! This new year promises to be filled with collaboration, innovation, and youth empowerment.

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