Local youth named to BGC National Youth Council

Cochranite Natonya Fedeyko has been named to the BGC National Youth Council and has recently returned from an orientation session in Toronto.

It follows on the steps of being part of a BGC youth delegation that met with federal MPs on Parliament Hill in October.

The 16-year-old says she was named to the council shortly after the eye-opening trip to Ottawa.

"I came to realize that my ideas could go further than Lead UP 2.0 program and Cochrane," she says. "It could become my voice and the ideas I have for Cochrane could become bigger than our town."

She says the full role of the youth council is currently being hammered out. There are 12 members, three from Alberta, and she met them for the first time in Toronto.

"One of the things we'll be focusing on is the growth of BGC programs across Canada and how we can attract other communities to take part in them."

They'll largely be meeting via Zoom. During their next meeting in January, they'll be focusing on the creation of different subcommittees. 

One of them will be on public policy.

"With that one, you bring up any issues that you're facing in the community."

It will also focus on further meetings with federal MPs to bring attention to youth issues in Parliament.

It all started when Renita Bartlett, youth programs coordinator for BGC Cochrane, recommended Fedeyko become involved with the Lead UP 2.0 program. Barlett wrote her a letter of recommendation for the national council. A Zoom meeting interview followed and a few days later she received word of her successful application.

In October, Fedeyko and Zach Cordero, of the local Lead UP 2.0 program, visited Ottawa to discuss youth issues. Out of 700 clubs nationwide, BGC Cochrane was one of just 28 selected to host the new Lead UP 2.0 program. Out of those 28, only 10 spots were granted for Youth on the Hill visit. 

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