Alice Wong, MP

Government of Canada supports youth leadership project in Vancouver

Vancouver, January 10, 2011 – Dr. Alice Wong, Member of Parliament for Richmond, joined Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson today in announcing support for citizenU, an innovative youth leadership project being launched by the City of Vancouver.

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, I’m happy to join Mayor Robertson in supporting citizenU and its commitment to teaching young people skills to combat racism,” said Dr. Wong. “By supporting this kind of project, the Government of Canada is demonstrating our commitment to helping new and established Canadians succeed and build a strong, socially integrated society.”

CitizenU will receive $905,000 over three years from the multiculturalism grants and contributions program of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. It will focus on some 2,000 at-risk youth from a diverse range of ethnic communities.

The project will train and engage young people, between 15 and 20 years old, in efforts to combat racism and discrimination. It will include workshops to teach leadership training, citizenship education, and intercultural and interfaith activities.

Youth completing the program will also be able to take part in a mentorship/internship program, where they can put their learning to work in various programs run by the City of Vancouver, community organizations, businesses and government agencies.

“This program exemplifies our efforts to build a strong multicultural city, free of racism and discrimination,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “As with the City’s Dialogues Project and YouthPolitik, the program will provide opportunities to involve youth and their families in identifying solutions to issues, and improve inter-cultural understanding and communication to help address discrimination. It will benefit not just the young people involved, but also their families, communities and schools in Vancouver.”

CitizenU will also help to create anti-discrimination and intercultural leadership curricula for schools, community programs and YouthPolitik, the City of Vancouver’s civic education and civic leadership development program.