- About Youth Vital Signs
- Who We Are
- Background
- Key Findings and Grades
- Arts Scene
- Going Green
- Poverty
- Youth Voice
- Youth Spaces
- Health and Well-being
- Youth Housing and Homelessness
- Education and Learning
- Safety
- Employment and Training
- Transportation
- Culture, Identity and Belonging
- Mobile Text Survey
- Grader Profile
- Differences Among Us
- Youth in Action
- Links to Community and Resources
- Find Us
Key Findings and Grades - Youth Voice
FAST FACTS
Low Voter Turnout
Voter turnout among Canadians is at an unprecedented low, but it is young people who are least likely to cast a ballot. Here’s some perspective: in the 2006 federal election, only 44% of people age 18 to 30, voted when adult turnout was 78%.
Source: Estimation of Voter Turnout by Age Group at the 39th Federal General Election, Elections Canada, 2006
We Volunteer
In B.C., some 50% of 15- to 24-year olds reported volunteering in 2004, with a median of 60 hours time contributed. Nationally, 55% of young Canadians reported volunteering but they gave less time: a median of 50 hours.
Source: Caring Canadians, involved Canadians: highlights from the 2004 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, Statistics Canada, 2006
Youth Activism
While statistics show a low number of Canadian youth voting in elections, over 65% of Canadians age 15 to 34 have forwarded an email or letter about a cause or signed an online petition. Youth voice also comes in the form of public demonstrations and writing letters to the media or their political leaders.
Source: Youth Voter DNA Report, 2006
YOUTH IN ACTION
Reel Youth
The Reel Youth Film Festival encourages youth age 19 and under to shine the spotlight on the changes they want to see in our world. From films about growing up in foster care to how First Nations youth are affected by the history of residential schools, the Festival gives our peers the chance to have their work juried by youth and shown across Canada.
www.reelyouth.ca