Community Projects
Territorial Youth Strategy
The Territorial Youth Strategy (TYS) is a shared framework to guide decision-making and action across the Yukon. It identifies six categories for improving the lives and futures of Yukon youth:
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Basic Needs
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Community Safety & Harm Reduction
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Mental Wellness & Connections
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Access to Learning & Education
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Employment & Career Opportunities
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Land & Stewardship
Where did it come from?
The TYS grew out of work already underway by local youth organizations. It became clear that greater collaboration was needed to tackle the complex challenges facing youth. The Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) initiative through Tamarack Institute provided seed funding and a collective impact framework to bring organizations, governments, and community partners together around shared goals. Through ongoing collaboration, youth engagement, and community conversations, the TYS was created. The CBYF collective has evolved into the Territorial Youth Collective who continue the work of empowering youth voice and updating the Strategy.
How does it work?
The TYS is a living document that continues to evolve through:
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Youth-led engagement and conversations with young people and communities
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Collaboration among youth, community organizations, governments, and other partners
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Ongoing action to advance the Strategy's priorities
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Annual Accountability Forums to review progress and identify areas for continued action
The YCAO was an original member of the Territorial Youth Collective and became a signatory to the TYS in 2024.
We Are Storytellers
A project celebrating youth voices through art and storytelling.
We Are Storytellers is a collection of artwork and stories by Yukon youth. The project was created to celebrate young people's voices and provide a platform for youth artists to share their passions and perspectives through a variety of artistic mediums.
Inspired by Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the project highlights the importance of listening to young people and creating opportunities for them to express themselves.
Project Highlights
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18 Yukon youth artists shared their stories through poetry, painting, beading, photography, writing, and other creative mediums.
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Youth explored themes of identity, resilience, culture, and social justice, demonstrating the power of storytelling to inspire action.
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Each submission included an artist statement, giving young people the opportunity to share the meaning behind their work and the importance of creative expression.
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Created, edited, and printed entirely in the Yukon in 2022, celebrating local talent and amplifying youth voices across the territory.
"Our greatest teachers are, and have always been, the young people we work for."
— Annette King, Yukon Child and Youth Advocate, Foreword to We Are Storytellers
Children's Rights in Action
This project supported key rights outlined in the UNCRC, particularly youth voice and freedom of expression!
This book was printed with the generous support of Communities Building Youth Futures Yukon.
Yukon Rookie League
An Act of Reconciliation
Youth Leadership
Youth advisors played a central role in shaping the project by:
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Contributing their ideas
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Working collaboratively as a team
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Meeting with government and sport organization representatives
The project was designed and led by First Nations youth aged 11-13.
YCAO partnered with the Jays Care Foundation, the charitable arm of the Toronto Blue Jays, to plan and deliver a reconciliation-focused initiative that brought together culture and baseball.
Youth Engagement
With support from YCAO, youth advisors:
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Attended 2017 CYFN General Assembly to hand deliver information about Yukon Rookie League to Yukon Chiefs.
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Attended information sharing sessions with: Kwanlin Dun First Nation, Sport Yukon, Softball Yukon, MP Larry Bagnell, Honourable Minister Streiker, Honourable Minister McPhee, and CYFN Grand Chief Peter Johnston.
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Presented at the National Aboriginal Sport Circle banquet in October 2017.
Project Implementation
Once the project was developed, YCAO invited all Yukon First Nations to participate in youth leadership training in 2017. Elementary schools were then engaged to identify youth leaders for a youth coach training held in February 2018.
Children's Rights in Action
This project supported key rights outlined in the UNCRC, particularly youth voice, cultural connection, and the right to play!
Youth leaders spread soil from Kwanlin Dün First Nation's baseball field at the Rogers Centre.