ABOUT THE RMYC
The Regional Multicultural Youth Council (RMYC) has provided a voice for youth in Thunder Bay and small isolated communities across Northwestern Ontario for about 25 years.
The Council was formed by a group of youths who participated in activities organized by the Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario (MANWO) to celebrate the United Nations International Youth Year in 1985. Melanie Goodchild, an Aboriginal high school student from the Pic River Ojibway First Nation, was the founding president. Her vision of youths from all backgrounds working together for a common future has guided the Council through the years. She went on to become the first Aboriginal youth to win the YTV Award for her work with the RMYC.
Through the years, the Youth Council has maintained a “youth-to-youth” approach to advance the well-being of children and youth and improve social conditions in the communities where they live. An inclusive youth executive runs the Council and speaks for the group on public platforms. The officers represent youth on civic committees, and organize forums to give voice to their issues, interests and concerns. The youth consult with their peers, plan and organize their own activities that can make a difference in their lives, at school, and in the community. The Council’s governance is exemplary, and has been acknowledged by the Laidaw Foundation as a model of youth engagement. The RMYC liaises with professionals for advice, and collaborates with various groups and agencies for broader ideas and effective community development.
“In this organization, young people are always standing in front,” says Moffat Makuto, Executive Director of MANWO, a regional parent organization of the RMYC. “The youth have talents and potential to be caring, resourceful and responsible. They need our support to become knowledgeable and capable leaders.” For example, after gaining experience working with MANWO to help newcomer youths settle in Canada, the Youth Council initiated an Orientation Program to welcome Aboriginal youths from remote northern homogeneous reserves to urban centres. This youth-to-youth initiative has been recognized by local schools as contributing to reducing attrition and improving the success rates of Aboriginal students.
The Council was formed by a group of youths who participated in activities organized by the Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario (MANWO) to celebrate the United Nations International Youth Year in 1985. Melanie Goodchild, an Aboriginal high school student from the Pic River Ojibway First Nation, was the founding president. Her vision of youths from all backgrounds working together for a common future has guided the Council through the years. She went on to become the first Aboriginal youth to win the YTV Award for her work with the RMYC.
Through the years, the Youth Council has maintained a “youth-to-youth” approach to advance the well-being of children and youth and improve social conditions in the communities where they live. An inclusive youth executive runs the Council and speaks for the group on public platforms. The officers represent youth on civic committees, and organize forums to give voice to their issues, interests and concerns. The youth consult with their peers, plan and organize their own activities that can make a difference in their lives, at school, and in the community. The Council’s governance is exemplary, and has been acknowledged by the Laidaw Foundation as a model of youth engagement. The RMYC liaises with professionals for advice, and collaborates with various groups and agencies for broader ideas and effective community development.
“In this organization, young people are always standing in front,” says Moffat Makuto, Executive Director of MANWO, a regional parent organization of the RMYC. “The youth have talents and potential to be caring, resourceful and responsible. They need our support to become knowledgeable and capable leaders.” For example, after gaining experience working with MANWO to help newcomer youths settle in Canada, the Youth Council initiated an Orientation Program to welcome Aboriginal youths from remote northern homogeneous reserves to urban centres. This youth-to-youth initiative has been recognized by local schools as contributing to reducing attrition and improving the success rates of Aboriginal students.