2010
Human Resources, Labour and Employment

In 2008, the concept of youth ownership was a relatively new idea. Recognizing that youth are the life force of the province’s future prosperity and development, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador invested $16 million over three years to develop a Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy. Rhonda and Sheldon were challenged with bringing this strategy into existence.

Rhonda and Sheldon worked to foster youth engagement and to enhance and improve the coordination and communication between government and community on youth issues. They tested new ground – listening to the concerns of youth in the province and beyond, speaking to young Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who, for various reasons, moved away, but who felt that their heart was in the province. Rhonda and Sheldon saw the need for a youth-friendly public service and set out to make those changes. They encourage free thinking, creative ideas and limitless imagination.

Rhonda and Sheldon are working to ensure that government departments consider youth when developing programs and policies. Rhonda and Sheldon are now actively sought to address and participate in community gatherings – in 2010 alone they met with almost 1,600 youth, community, and government representatives seeking to enhance existing services and propose new services for youth engagement.

Through experimentation, piloting innovative techniques and methods to engage youth and encourage dialogue and leadership, Rhonda and Sheldon identified, and are actively working on implementing, all of the 41 initiatives associated with the Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy. Their approach to partnership has led to several creative solutions. For example, the ANVIL Initiative places university work term students in non-profit community organizations in small rural communities in the province.

The Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy has also been a pioneer in the use of social media and has made government policy and programs accessible to a whole new generation. In addition, it recognizes how important diversity is in our quality of life and the richness of our society.

Rhonda and Sheldon’s success, and the success of the strategy lies in genuinely allowing youth to see the importance of engagement, in inspiring communities and government to work collaboratively, and in shifting forever the attitudes about the value of supporting youth for a sustainable future.