Our
Consultations
CVYC has led and participated in a series of consultations to amplify the voices of young people in our community.
Our work ensures that youth perspectives are not only heard, but also shape meaningful change.
July 2023
- A new sticker on City facility doors features “Welcome”and the Intersex Inclusive
Progress Pride flag in a heart, signaling that these spaces
are welcoming, safe, and inclusive for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and allies. The
design was created in consultation with the CVYC.
October 2023
- CVYC collaborated with the City of Victoria on redesigning Topaz
Park, focusing on seating, accessibility, and youth engagement. Another
consultation is set for November 2024, with the park's completion
planned for Spring 2025.
August 2024
- CVYC provided input on Victoria’s 2025 budget priorities, which
has been presented to Council, shared with City departments, and
posted online.
Topics covered include:​​
• Arts and Culture: More community art projects
• Climate Action: Incentives for green buildings
• Education: Improved public outreach through school visits, life skills
workshops (taxes, budgeting, etc.), and youth ambassadors promoting
city programs
• Housing: More affordable, low-barrier housing
• Mental Health and Wellness: Shorter waitlists for mental health and
substance use treatments, more accessible detox centres, increased
youth workers, and City-provided mental health workshops and free
counselling
• Safety: No street sweeps, increased naloxone access, and more safe
consumption sites
• Transportation: More electric buses and improved routes
• Youth and Politics: Easier voting access for youth, with City-hosted mock
elections in schools and the community.
March 2024
- Ammar Mahimwalla, Senior Cultural Planner, presented mural requirements to the
CVYC and provided a physical toolkit.
March 2024
- Victoria Police Foundation board members presented their mission and sought
feedback on their programs.
April 2024
- The City of Victoria’s Community Planning Team consulted the CVYC on the offical
Community Plan.
May 2024
- Sarah MacKenzie led Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility training at City
Hall.
June 2024
- CVYC Public Relations Specialist Beatrice Sharpe joined a jury to review public art
applications and participated in a scoring meeting to reach a consensus.
July 2024
- The CVYC consulted on the City of Victoria’s upcoming accessibility app,
BlindSquare, for blind and partially sighted individuals.
September 2024
- CVYC consulted with the City’s Arts, Culture, & Events team on the $100,000 'Our
DWTN' grant. CVYC President Bella Zhou applied on behalf of her organization,
HEARTH.
- The CVYC consulted with the City of Victoria’s Climate Action Team.
October 2024
- Presentation by the founder of Vote16 and advocate for free youth bus passes.
- Poetry workshop by Victoria's Youth Poet Laureate.
- Presentation by the ETHOS Team on Skills Quest Young Adults and QWORKS programs.
November 2024
- Consultation with BC Transit on enhancing youth safety and accessibility.
- This year, the City launched an inclusive internship program called IMPACT (Inclusive Municipal Program of Advancing Careers & Training). Members visited CVYC to share their experiences and consult with youth.
- BC Epilepsy Society will lead a workshop to raise awareness and understanding of epilepsy.
December 2024
- CVYC will participated in a 2-hour Naloxone training by AVI Health and Community Services, focusing on overdose prevention and response.
January 2025
- The Ministry of Justice shared with CVYC working to determine the kinds of supports youth need when their intimate photos are shared without their consent. The team facilitating the focus group are trained in mental health and have experience working with youth in this capacity. Written and verbal consent was gathered from the youth ahead of the consultation.
- Zoom meeting which involved a presentation from JABC. Covering their entrepreneurship programs. Tam Dinh (Manager of Business Development) briefed the youth on steps to joining the organization’s volunteer team. Some youth shared that they would like to facilitate financial literacy sessions in classrooms for younger grades, and reached out to Tam independently following the presentation.
February 2025
- CVYC had a meeting with Complete Communities in BC: The initiative promotes sustainable, inclusive neighbourhoods with diverse housing, access to services, and efficient land use, enhancing quality of life and reducing urban sprawl.
March 2025
- CVYC connected with the City of Victoria’s Housing and Community Infrastructure team.
- Consultation with the City of Victoria’s team working on providing care and support to those with dementia
- Topaz Park update on the project
- Presentation from a representative of QChat
- Consultation with Heather Gross on the work that Volunteer Victoria is doing for the intergenerational grant
April 2025
May 2025
- The Ministry of Justice has invited CVYC to participate in the next phase of their research project. This session will focus on developing ideas and prototypes, following the discovery phase completed in January.
June 2025
- Councillor Susan Kim, the official Council Liaison for the City of Victoria Youth Council (CVYC)! Is wanting the opportunity to connect with the youth council and learn more about the work CVYC is doing.
- City Council is hosting a youth-focused evening featuring the Youth Poet Laureate and local musicians. Youth Council has been invited to attend and present or speak about topics that matter to them. The format is still being finalized, but other youth groups will also be in attendance.
July 2025
- The City Bike share program for E bikes are keen on hearing CVYC feedback from 6:05-6:45 they’ll be giving a presentation on this initiative.
- CVYC worked on the directory to submit the changes the communications team at the city has asked us to change.
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