In Miramichi, New Brunswick, the city council consults the Miramichi Advisory Committee on Youth (MACY) on all community matters pertaining to young people. MACY is a partnership between youth representatives from high schools in the Miramichi area and adult representatives who work with youth or serve on the city council. The committee serves as an advisory board to the city council as well as a connection point between schools, community members, and local government.
Issues are brought to MACY by members of the city council, local schools, and various other youth-serving groups. The members of MACY discuss these issues at monthly meetings, conduct any necessary research, and develop recommendations for groups involved. The issues can be related to proposed rules or community challenges, but groups also bring positive ideas to MACY when they are looking for advice on how to make them happen.
- When a curfew was proposed in the community in 2005, the issue was brought to MACY. After it was discussed by the committee, the high school representatives conducted surveys in their schools and, based on their findings, responded with recommendations to the city council.
- When a lacrosse group in the local school district wanted to increase community interest in lacrosse, they went to MACY and asked what could be done. MACY decided to organize a lacrosse evening. A host was brought in from the capital of New Brunswick, and a lacrosse event was held to promote the sport and spark interest among community members and young people.
In addition to schools and the city council, MACY also partners with other local organizations such as the police and addiction services. Last year, MACY played a role in a cyber-bullying event to educate the community about the Internet. It was put on by local police and area high schools and was open to both youth and parents.
MACY is also working to get information about the Developmental Assets out to others through media and workshops. Mary Lynn Jardine, a member of MACY and Youth Coordinator for the City of Miramichi, and a youth member of MACY co-write the Asset Corner, a weekly column for the Miramichi Leader newspaper. By co-writing, they engage both youth and adult perspectives on the Developmental Assets and give community members examples of the things they can do to intentionally build the Developmental Assets for young people.
MACY is also working on creating radio advertisements entitled Driving Home with Assets to be broadcast from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., when many people are driving home from work. Recognizable people from the community were chosen to be involved by telling stories from their lives that connect to the Developmental Assets. The hope is that listeners will hear something they can relate to, and that the message will hit home for them.
The efforts of MACY and the community members involved with trainings and workshops on the Developmental Assets are well received in Miramichi. More and more organizations are getting involved, increasing numbers of school staff are being trained and are bringing Developmental Assets into their schools, and people and programs that are involved have been recognized and awarded for their efforts to improve their communities.
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