4. Youth Service That Builds Community
Why This Matters
Young people are often looking for meaningful ways to contribute, gain experience and complete community-service hours. I want to connect that energy with real needs in Riverside—helping older neighbours, supporting community events, environmental projects and other verified service.
I also want to explore partnerships that could recognize sustained service through bursaries or education supports toward university, college, private career education or skilled-trades training. The principle is simple: when young people invest in their community, we should look for ways for the community to invest in them.
What City Hall Can Do
Council can encourage and help organize civic-service opportunities. Education credits, admissions and tuition are not controlled by City Hall, so any bursary or educational recognition must be partnership-based.
Who Needs to Be Involved
Youth, schools and school boards, post-secondary and skilled-trades institutions, community organizations, donors or sponsors, volunteers and City community-development staff.
Cost and Funding
Basic service opportunities may use existing programs; a bursary component would depend on the scale and on outside partners. I would not promise a City-funded tuition program.
Partner institutions, community foundations, donors or sponsors, grants and potentially a limited municipal contribution if Council later determined that was appropriate.
What I Will Do
Start with verified service opportunities that meet real community needs, then invite education and community partners to design recognition or bursary options that are financially sustainable and open to university, college and skilled-trades pathways.
My Action Plan
Ask youth what service they would actually participate in and ask community organizations what work they genuinely need. Build opportunities around real community needs rather than make-work volunteer hours.
Create a menu of verified Ward 6 service opportunities linked to Neighbours Helping Neighbours, parks and clean-ups, community events, seniors support, environmental stewardship and other appropriate projects.
Work with schools and school boards so eligible activities can count toward required community-involvement hours, while ensuring supervision and documentation are straightforward.
Invite the University of Windsor, St. Clair College, private career colleges, skilled-trades partners, community foundations and donors to explore bursaries, scholarships or recognition tied to verified community service. I would seek outside partnerships before asking municipal taxpayers to fund tuition awards.
Keep the program inclusive. Recognition should not privilege only university-bound students; college, apprenticeship, skilled-trades and other post-secondary pathways should be eligible where partners agree.
Measure service delivered to the community—hours, projects completed, residents assisted and youth participation—and publish results so young people can see the tangible difference their work made.