Allyson Beauregard
Allyson Beauregard
CAMPBELL’S BAY – The Pontiac Youth Table held their annual general meeting, October 8, at the Campbell’s Bay Recreation Hall where they described their achievements, and presented their annual activities report and financial statements. The event also included two presentations from young municipal councillors, Veronique Lamoureux of Mansfield and Greg Graham of Bristol, who described their experiences and challenges with campaigning and their roles on council.
According to youth councillor Stephanie-Karine Hebert, out of 125 elected council members in the Pontiac, 11 are under the age of 35; this represents 30% of the Pontiac’s council members, which is the highest youth involvement rate of any Outaouais region.
Lamoureux described how running for council was challenging. “Some people made assumptions about how I would be able to perform on council based on my age before they knew my background and qualifications,” she said. Lamoureux encouraged other young people to run for council because decisions made now will affect their future.
Graham also encouraged youth to become politically involved. “It’s the best way to influence what goes on in your community and you can see results quickly.”
“I believe you have to serve your community somehow, so if you have the time, I urge you to get involved on council, because you can change so much,” he added.
Although the PYT’s fiscal year ends in December, as of September 30, the organization had almost $6,000 in surplus. In 2014, they hosted a three day leadership camp for girls, and participated in Jour de la Francophonie 2014, as well as other local activities such as Fort-Coulonge’s DJ Rock, le Defi Pierre Lavoie, and Otter Lake Welcomes Summer.
The organization will once again be announcing a call for projects in November for the Youth Initiative Fund, which provides $500 in funding to selected projects (see photo story above), and the Green Fund, which gives $200 towards an eco-friendly project; a total of $6,606 was given to various youth initiatives this year.
The PYT’s aims to promote and support the interests of Pontiac youth; it facilitates their engagement and involvement in order to enrich their participation and sense of belonging to the region. For more information contact: 819-648-5065 or tjp@cjepontiac.ca.
