What does Young Greens Council do?
The purpose of the Young Greens of Canada (YGC) is to:
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support the Green Party in their efforts to elect candidates to the House of Commons;
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ensure a youth voice is part of debating and forming legislation in Canada’s Parliament;
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ensure a youth voice is part of developing the policy, positions, and platforms of the Party;
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facilitate the involvement of young Canadians and encourage youth-friendly structures and atmosphere within the YGC and the Party more broadly; and
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ensure the Principles of the Global Greens Charter that reference young people are respected and prioritized.
As the governance body of the YGC, Young Greens Council provides leadership and representation for the Young Greens membership. In this role, they are responsible for ensuring that the above aims are being met with the support of staff, and for providing the strategic direction needed to achieve them. This means making decisions on strategic goals and advising on the budget, advocating for youth both within the Party and out, and spearheading a diverse array of projects aimed at growing the Young Greens movement and encouraging youth engagement in politics.
Co-Chairs
The two Co-Chairs are responsible for keeping the Young Greens Council organized and working together as a team. They are expected to take the lead on scheduling and facilitating meetings with the support of staff, ensuring that Council decisions are made collaboratively and with consensus. The Co-Chairs ensure that the perspective of provinces and territories that are without a representative on Council are adequately considered during deliberation.
The Co-Chairs are also responsible for representing the Young Greens of Canada membership as the two Youth Representatives on Federal Council. The Youth Representatives are full voting members of Federal Council, which is the Green Party’s highest governing body.
Qualifications
Ideally, though not necessarily, contestants for the two Co-Chair positions have some experience with how the Green Party is organized and operates, or have some previous experience on a governance board. Governance training will be provided.
Contestants should be prepared to contribute a few hours a month to YGC work, and an additional few hours a month to Federal Council duties. One weekend long in person retreat is held for each Council. Co-Chairs will be speaking on behalf of the YGC in Federal Council meetings, facilitating discussion among their peers, and mediating disagreement where necessary. All Council members are held to a high standard of conduct as they are both role models for their peers and representatives of the Party.
Provincial & Territories Representatives
Each Provincial and Territorial Representative is responsible for contributing to the work and the overall success of the YGC Council in achieving its purpose. Although each representative comes from a different jurisdiction, the mandate is to make decisions based on what is best for the YGC membership as a whole. Council brings their diverse views and experiences together to build a united, national movement on behalf of the entire YGC membership.
Provincial and Territories Representatives may choose to represent the YGC as Youth Critic on the Green Party’s Shadow Cabinet, on various committees and governance bodies of the YGC or GPC, or at other events and meetings.
Qualifications
Ideally, representatives are active in the Young Greens community in their region. They must reside in the province or territories they represent for at least eight months each year, and be prepared to contribute a few hours a month to YGC Council work, with one annual, in person retreat. Previous leadership or board governance experience is an asset, but not necessary. Training will be provided. Enthusiasm for the Young Greens movement and a willingness to learn are key! All Council members are held to a high standard of conduct as they are both role models for their peers and representatives of the Party.
Term Lengths
This year, the YGC membership voted to accept a new set of bylaws that have made significant changes to how the YGC Council operates. One of the biggest changes was a move to two year terms for all positions, with a staggered election cycle that sees half of the positions elected in even numbered years, and the other half in odd numbered years.
However, in order to move into this new system, all positions that make up the Council are up for election this year. This means that some positions will, for this election cycle only, serve one year terms instead of two years and be eligible for re-election in Spring 2019. This applies to the Representative positions for Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Territories, along with one of the two Co-Chair positions. All other positions will serve two year terms and be eligible for re-election in Spring 2020.