Agriculture for Life is developing an Agriculture Youth Council
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
An Alberta organization is looking for youth to join a new council designed to provide feedback on its programming.
Agriculture for Life, which supplies agricultural education and safety programs to students, is creating a new Agriculture Youth Council. The group will be comprised of eight to 12 members between the ages of 16 and 21. Individuals can join the council, even if they have no industry experience.
By having a council made up of the same people the programs are designed for, the organization may learn how it can better serve students in Alberta, said Luree Williamson, CEO of Ag for Life.
“Since we do a lot of programming around agricultural education and farm safety, we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for students to provide us with their observations about those programs,” Williamson told Farms.com today. “In addition to that, the council will help pilot some other programs and test out new ideas.”
Chosen members will serve on the council for one year. The commitment includes participating in two committee meetings per year, attending three events and sharing ideas related to ag education and safety.
Participating in the youth council is also a great way for the members to learn about different branches of the ag sector, Williamson said.
“The industry is evolving so quickly and it’s important to keep them involved from many different perspectives,” she said. “From a career standpoint, the industry is looking for skilled workers and statistics show that we’ll need more workers in the future.
“The students are also consumers of (agricultural products). They all eat and will eventually buy their own groceries. Giving them an informed understanding of food and production is very important when it comes to talking about the technology and innovation in the industry.”
Williamson encourages anyone interested in joining the Agriculture Youth Council to apply before Monday, Sept. 17.