When Jam Sanchez arrived in Canada as a newcomer, he found strength and support in Edmonton’s Filipino community.
Years later, he found a meaningful way to give back and help future newcomers navigate the city with greater ease. As one of the interns in this year’s Civic Youth Fellowship, Sanchez was able to merge his passion for community with his lived experience to help shape a more inclusive Edmonton.
“I worked on two projects,” he explained. “The first was a mapping document identifying gaps and challenges the Filipino community faces in Edmonton.”
For his second project, Sanchez collaborated with community leaders, non-profits and City staff to create an accessible online brochure that connects Filipino residents with key resources such as affordable housing, wayfinding support and community programs.
Essential insight
The impact of Sanchez’s work reached far beyond the brochure itself. Latif Jina, Senior Executive Advisor of Anti-Racism and Intersectionality in the City Manager’s Office, emphasized how essential it was to have Sanchez’s voice at the table.
“Despite the fact that we’d consulted with community leaders and thought we understood the Filipino community, Jam’s work gave us firsthand insight into the gaps and barriers they face when accessing City services,” said Jina.
This kind of insight is precisely why the City launched the Civic Youth Fellowship in 2022. Since it started, the program has welcomed 50 passionate young Edmontonians to work alongside executive leadership, councillors and the Mayor on projects that will inform City programs, services and initiatives for years to come.
Increasing accessibility
Take Hinauri Nehua-Jackson and Yasmin Lavoie-Khatib, for example. As interns in the Community Services Office, they joined forces to collaborate on key initiatives focused on equity and inclusion.
One project they worked on involved finding a new name for a City initiative designed to improve accessibility in recreation centres. The pair agreed that the original name was complicated and that it could alienate the very people it aimed to serve. To resolve this, Nehua-Jackson and Lavoie-Khatib helped to plan and facilitate a workshop with a variety of key City staff to brainstorm new names.
They eventually landed on UP-Lift: the Integrated Plan for Equitable Recreation Programming. The new name uses more simple language, making it easier for a broad audience to understand.
For Nehua-Jackson, this focus on accessibility was essential. “I think the verbiage of the municipality can be jarring for community members and Edmontonians,” she explained. “From the people I shook hands with to the policies we worked on, my goal was making sure community was always in the conversation.”
Lavoie-Khatib’s culturally diverse background helps her spot barriers and challenges that others might not see.
“I pass,” she says, “I can kind of go in between cultural concepts.” Lavoie-Khatib uses the word ‘passing’ to mean being perceived as part of a particular group or identity. This perspective gives her a unique ability to see how different communities experience the world, and how systems and policies can feel inclusive to some while excluding others. This awareness shapes her approach to representation, language, and design, ensuring City services work for everyone.
“During my time with the City, this perspective informed the projects I contributed to whether I was conducting research, developing workshops, supporting marketing plans or engaging with partnership groups,” she shared. “I consistently asked how our work could be more accessible, culturally responsive and community-centered.”
Mutual growth
The Civic Youth Fellowship is more than just an internship; it’s a dynamic partnership that promotes mutual exchange and growth. Interns gain valuable leadership experience, build professional networks and learn about local government, while City staff gain invaluable insights from the youth’s diverse lived experiences. This helps make the City make sure its services are more relevant and responsive to the varied needs of all residents.
This year’s cohort included students and graduates from a range of academic backgrounds, from industrial design and neuroscience to social work and business administration. There’s no single degree or career path that makes someone the “right” fit for this program. In fact, this diversity of backgrounds and disciplines is one of the Fellowship’s greatest strengths, bringing a wealth of perspectives to city-building.
While each intern’s project was unique, the goal of the internship was the same: to provide youth from diverse backgrounds with opportunities to grow, while giving them the space and support to confidently share their ideas on how to make Edmonton a more inclusive, integrated and welcoming city.
The program is supported and made possible by five community partners: Africa Centre, ASSIST Community Services Centre, Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Islamic Family and Social Services Association, and kihêw waciston at MacEwan University.
To learn more about the program, the interns’ projects, and our community partners, visit edmonton.ca/CivicYouthInternship.
Editor’s note: the pic at the top of the post shows Jam Sanchez in City Hall, explaining his Civic Youth Fellowship project, which directly addresses challenges and provides essential support for Filipino newcomers.