The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) appointed Oakville's Ward 7 Town Councillor, Jasvinder Sandhu, as a member of the Youth Engagement Advisory Council at its Annual Conference. The 2019 conference ran from August 18th to 21st, and took place in Ottawa.
The recently created AMO's Youth Engagement Advisory Council brings together six young elected municipal officials. They represent different areas of Ontario. The council goals are to increase the participation of youth in Ontario's municipal government through measures that reflect the regional, cultural, social and gender diversity of the province.
“It is an honour and privilege to be selected to represent the interests of our younger population. I look forward to this important work and participating in discussions to further engage our youth and help cultivate future leaders in Oakville and Ontario as a whole,” says Jasvinder Sandhu, Oakville Town Councillor for Ward 7.
Furthering youth engagement, Sandhu started a volunteer internship initiative with her office earlier this year. The first successful cohort wrapped up just last month and the positions ended up being paid honorariums.
“I am really looking forward to the next cohort beginning in the coming days and continuing to see the level of inquisitiveness and commitment from these high school students,” says Sandhu.
When speaking about what she looks forward to as a member of this council, Sandhu states, “the icing on the cake really is the ability to take my little idea and now share it at the provincial level with my new colleagues to see how we can engage youth all over the Province.”
Jasvinder Sandhu was elected to Oakville Town Council in 2018. Sandu represents ward 7 residents as a Town Councillor. The Ward 7 is a new ward for the Town of Oakville. Its boundaries are: from the 16 Mile Creek to the west, Dundas to the south, 403 to the East and 407 to the North.