Youth empowerment conference aims to help Edmonton youth expand social networks

A conference over the weekend aims to empower youth in Edmonton, helping them develop skills, while expanding their social network.

“If we look at the current environment, there are maybe comparatively facing more challenges than the other population group,” said Aftab Khan, executive director of Action for Healthy Communities.

More than 100 youth in Edmonton gathered to develop their skills and share their knowledge, while also expanding their social network with other youths.

Evangelina Desjarlais-L’hirondelle, a student at Ross Sheppard High School, who participated in the event says she felt disconnected when she first entered high school and joining the event helped build her confidence.

“If you went to a new school with just you there – you couldn’t really get into having friends or that community connection,” said Desjarlais-L’hirondelle.

And with the connections she has at the youth conference, she is now able to develop her public speaking skills and even meet new people, which is something outside of her comfort zone

“It takes you out of your shell, so usually you like to stay with people like you like my people did,” said Desjarlais-L’hirondelle. “And it really teaches you to grow out of your shell and expand your horizon, expand who are your friends with.”

But the event is not just helping indigenous youth in the city,  it is also a way to help newcomers – especially families and their kids –  navigate a new city.

“We’ll have all of these new parents coming in and be like ‘hey, what school do I send my kid to? what programs – what is ib or what is ap, a lot of the questions that my parents have gotten from all these newcomer families, that’s what’s sparked this idea,” said Samriddhi Shrestha, works at  Linking Education in Edmonton.

This is the second empowering youth leadership through community action or Elyca in Edmonton, where 15 youth groups with different initiatives aimed to help young Edmontonians  from different cultures and backgrounds create new connections.

“We give opportunity and space here for them to build a networking, to know each other, to connect and learn from each other,” said Aisulu Abdykadyrova, program coordinator, Action for Healthy Communities.

“If we look at the current environment, there are maybe comparatively facing more challenges than the other population group, so that’s why we are focusing the youth as well to help them build their skills and knowledge and leadership,” said Khan.