TakingITGlobal

180 # R I S I N G Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T Gearing up for the 2019 federal election, #RisingYouth grantee Emily Ross decided to host a forum between the Yukon's electoral candidates that focused on youth and youth issues. The event was held at the North of Ordinary Experience Centre in Whitehorse that consisted of a moderated Q&A featuring questions sent in by Yukon youth, as well as an open-mic portion where youth in attendance could ask questions directly to the candidates. In the end, all of the Yukon's parties were represented by four candidates and one proxy. The venue was filled to capacity with the press also in attendance. Most importantly, the audience remained engaged throughout the entire evening. During the forum, audio of all the questions and answers were recorded and later transcribed and published online for the wider population to review. " The youth I spoke to at the event left feeling empowered and engaged, with many telling me they planned to continue their own political research or engage with the candidates further. Our forum on youth issues was followed by a large number of debates in the subsequent months of the election season. The Yukon ended with a voter turnout of roughly 72%, which exceeds the national average. It was our hope that creating a space for youth to participate directly in politics might lead to greater youth engagement in the 2019 federal election and in politics in the future." EMILY ROSS Youth Election Engagement Emily Ross | $750 Whitehorse, Yukon YUKON Whitehorse is located on Kwanlin Dun and Ta'an Kwäch'än Territory. LEARN MORE AT WWW.WHOSE.LAND

• Cover