Letter from Rhonda Vanderfluit re: British Columbia Youth Parliament, 89th Parliament

Re: British Columbia Youth Parliament, 89th Parliament

The British Columbia Youth Parliament’s 89th Parliament will hold its parliamentary session in Victoria at the Provincial Legislative Chambers from December 27 to 31, 2017. The Youth Parliament is a province-wide non-partisan organization for young people ages 16 to 21. It teaches citizenship skills through participation in the December parliamentary session and in community service activities throughout the year. Youth Parliament is a one year commitment.

I invite you to encourage eligible youth from your municipality or region to apply to sit as members of the Youth Parliament. Youth Parliament is non-partisan, and applicants need only be interested in learning more about the parliamentary process and in serving their community.

Each applicant who is accepted to attend as a member of BCYP must pay a $350 registration fee. Thanks to fundraising efforts, a portion of the cost of transportation and accommodation is reduced but we encourage your municipality to contribute to the fees for those applicants in need. If you are not able to provide assistance, financial support is available for applicants who cannot meet the expense of the registration fee. Requesting financial assistance will not affect an applicant’s chance of being selected as a member. We also provide resources for applicants attempting to secure funding from community sources, including schools and service clubs (see www.bcyp.org/joinus.html).

Members will sit and debate in the Legislative Chambers for five days and will be accommodated for four nights at the Coast Hotel in Victoria. During that time, participants are supervised by members of the Board of Directors of the Youth Parliament of B.C. Alumni Society and other youth parliament alumni. In addition, transportation to and from Victoria will be provided for all members who require it.

I have enclosed an application form and two copies of a brochure about BCYP. I encourage you to make the application form and brochure available to interested young people and to make copies of the forms as needed. If your municipality sponsors a “youth of the year” award or has a municipal youth council, young people with that sort of initiative and involvement are ideal candidates for our organization. A soft copy of the form is available from our website at www.bcyp.org/joinus.html, along with soft copies of the brochure and a promotional poster.

All applications must be received by October 24, 2017. Applicants will be notified whether they have been selected in early November. If you require more information, please contact me by telephone or e-mail as indicated above, or visit our website at www.bcyp.org.

Yours truly,

Rhonda Vanderfluit Registrar, Youth Parliament of B.C. Alumni Society