DESCRIPTION

There is no shortage of conversation in Metro Vancouver about civic disengagement, loneliness, apathy, and a lack of community. At the same time, with municipal elections in October 2018 in cities across Metro Vancouver, governments are wrestling with how to increase civic engagement. We ultimately have cities with disengaged youth, and also cities that are only influenced by a certain portion of the population.

The 30Network aims to change this. Youth are a large untapped resource who have the lived experiences and the skills needed to help solve pressing urban challenges such as civic disengagement.

​“Here to Stay: Youth Solutions for an Engaged City” is the final public showcase for the eight projects from the 30 Network on Civic Engagement. Beyond that, it is an opportunity to collectively build support for increasing and enhancing meaningful civic engagement in the Metro Vancouver region through directly supporting tangible projects and dialogue.

We invite curious citizens, elected officials, community organizations, academic institutions, practitioners, innovators and everyone in between to join us for an exciting and thought-provoking evening. Join us!

Doors will open at 6:30, and the program will begin at 7:00pm. Light refreshments will be served and a cash bar will be available.

What is the 30Network?​

The 30Network is a pop-up innovation lab for 30 local young urban influencers to come together over the course of six sessions taking place between April and May 2018. These 30 will be tasked to create innovative solutions to break down the barriers for youth to civic engagement leading up to the 2018 municipal elections in collaboration with key partners and support from thought leaders in the field. The 30Network goes beyond talking about millenials and engagement, but instead gives them the resources, knowledge and support for them to be active participants in the conversation.

Why Civic Engagement?

There is no shortage of conversation in Metro Vancouver about civic disengagement, loneliness, apathy, and a lack of community. At the same time, with municipal elections in October 2018 in cities across Metro Vancouver, governments are wrestling with how to increase civic engagement. Our cities still face lower than desired citizen participation in civic elections and on a general basis. Low voter turnout has been disproportionately concentrated in certain populations, including youth ages 18-34. We ultimately have cities with disengaged youth, and also cities that are only influenced by a certain portion of the population.

The 30Network aims to change this. Youth are a large untapped resource who have the lived experiences and the skills needed to help solve pressing urban challenges such as civic disengagement.