Our Origins and Mission
The Canadian Youth Letters Project (or CYLP) is a youth-led initiative created to address the lack of representation that youth have in Canadian politics. We were launched by a group of Canadian highschool students with the mission to “engage youth in politics, give them a political voice and open communication between the government and the general population.”
What do we do to achieve our mission?
The CYLP works to achieve our mission in several ways:
Social Media: Writing informative posts and articles about legislation, political issues affecting Canadians, and other relevant topics related to politics and Canada.
Outreach: Collaborating with schools and other organizations to help give youth practical political skills, help improve critical thinking, improving letter writing skills, and allowing students a platform to share their political needs and beliefs.
Lobbying: Lobbying the Canadian federal and provincial governments to gain a response to issues that affect youth.
Volunteering: Volunteering initiatives and volunteering within our communities in order to directly contribute to Canadian society.
Letters Initiative: This initiative is where youth from all over the country can send in letters and letter ideas to the CYLP that we will send on their behalf (with credit) to the appropriate government representative.
Why get involved?
The CYLP works directly with Canadian youth in order gain an idea of as many different perspectives as possible. Canadian youth are unique diverse, and your unique perspectives can help us better represent your needs and those of your peers across the country. Besides, your work with CYLP counts as volunteer hours and experience for school and work!
What does it mean to be a project member?
A CYLP member can be any Canadian citizen or resident under the age of 21. Members can choose what role they’d like to take on depending on their interests and skillsets.
Members can take on as much or as little work as they’d like, and mental health breaks are encouraged. Meetings are held over Skype every one-to-two weeks, according to member availability. Members are expected to make an effort to join meetings, but there is no minimum amount of meetings that must be attended. Notes are always sent out after meetings for those who miss them, and to help people remember tasks.
How do I get involved?
Go to our website or click on this link to view our member application. If you’d like to send a letter through our Letters Initiative or suggest a letter idea, you can do that by clicking here.
If you have any questions about our project or how to get involved, you can email us at canadianyouthlettersproject@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram (@canadian_youth_letters_project).
Member application link
Letters Initiative link
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