Youth Engagement Committee

The Youth Engagement Committee (or YEC, as we like to call it) is an advisory group that advocates for youth involvement across our agency, and provides feedback and consultation on our programs, policies and various projects. The group also decides to take on their own projects to improve our agency. Some examples of projects that the group has worked on include: re-designing the waiting room space at the downtown office (picked out new paint colours, added a couch/comfy chair, added fidget toys), making galaxy jars with inspirational quotes for the counselling rooms, and giving feedback on the intake form that the walk-in clinic uses.

The YEC is open to youth aged 14 to 25. We prioritize youth with lived experience with accessing a variety of different services. The group is led by two youth who facilitate the YEC and chair each meeting. Staff adult allies support the YEC. We also have various Lumenus staff and guests from other organizations who join meetings to share about their programs or solicit feedback. The YEC meets every other Wednesday from 4pm to 5:30pm. Currently, we are meeting through Zoom but when we do meet in person, we provide a meal and TTC tokens to get to and from the meeting. Volunteer hours are provided.

If you are interested or have questions about the YEC, please contact Gargi Patel, Youth Engagement Facilitator, at gpatel@LumenusCS.onmicrosoft.com. We accept new members on a rotating basis.