Posted Sep. 1/05
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Reaching out to Canada’s youth and getting them engaged in national issues can be a challenge.
But it wasn’t beyond the grasp of Simon Robertson, who served as a special assistant to Environment Minister Stéphane Dion this summer.
Among other duties, Robertson, who is entering his fourth year in the Public Affairs and Policy Management program, was responsible for coordinating youth outreach and engagement on behalf of the minister. A big part of the job entailed finding ways to plug young people in to Environment Canada’s climate change initiatives.
“I’m exploring whether there are ways the government can interact with young people through the Web,” explains Robertson, adding it’s often the best way to engage young people who grew up with Internet phenomena such as blogs, sound files, and mpegs.
“These are (Web features) that haven’t really been explored (by the government) yet,” he says.
Also critical to his job is the coordination of a youth round table, which comes together from across Canada to discuss environmental issues. Such dialogue is critical, especially when it comes to climate change, says Robertson.
Generally speaking, it will take a while for the Canadian public to wrap their heads around this issue, he says, adding the government has been trying for a long time to advertise this problem and talk to Canadians about it.
“Problems usually tend to be a lot more immediate, but this is more of a long term program. You can’t talk to young people about how 20 years ago you would never have had summers as hot as they are now. Many of them weren’t born 20 years ago, so the comparison isn’t as tangible for them. It’s a matter of getting these messages out and getting people to understand that action needs to be taken.”
Robertson, a native of British Columbia, feels fortunate to have such a job opportunity in the capital. He loves being involved in “very big government undertakings” such as the budget process and the release of Environment Canada’s Climate Change Plan.
“That plan involved billions of dollars of government spending. It’s such a massive policy undertaking, one that it is important for Canada’s environment and the well being of all Canadians.”
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