Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Background

The beginnings of the National Youth Anti-Racism Network (NYAN) go back to the UN World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa in 2001, where many of the youth there identified the lack of a strong, unified youth voice on anti-racism and discrimination issues in Canada.

At a post-WCAR symposium organized by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), in Edmonton in 2002, a group of youth, many of whom had been involved in WCAR, convened and developed a vision for a national youth network.

In 2004, the CRRF supported the development of the Network, a Website, and an ad hoc national youth advisory committee. Subsequently, in 2005, NYAN organized a youth conference in Calgary which created a momentum among Canadian youth to mobilize around anti-racism issues. Today, over 170 young anti-racism advocates are members of NYAN and the network continues to grow!

Vision

NYAN is youth-led network which aims to unite a critical national anti-racism youth voice in Canada, share resources and promote youth engagement. NYAN encourages young people to mobilize to combat racism and discrimination and promote diversity, with a particular emphasis on youth affected by racism, namely Aboriginal youth and youth of ethno-cultural background.

In an effort to renew its commitments and revitalize its action, NYAN is currently seeking 10 Steering Committee members (18-30 years old) to passionately and collaboratively work on the development of the network and to mobilize Canadian youth on anti-racism issues.

Tasks

The role of the Steering Committee Member is to:

• Be the ears, the voice and the face of NYAN at the local, regional, national and international levels;
• Provide constant feedback (mainly through emails) on the development of NYAN’s vision and mandate;
• Participate in the design and organization of activities, events, and projects, as well as the maintenance of the listserv and website;
• Suggest, contribute and implement new ideas to encourage community mobilization and youth engagement.

Qualifications and skills

An ideal Steering Committee Member would:

• Be knowledgeable and passionate about social justice and diversity issues;
• Be willing to invest time, skills and energy!
• Have leadership and innovation skills;
• Demonstrate community engagement and youth outreach expertise;
• Belong to or work closely with minority and racialized communities in Canada;
• Have good communications, networking and project management skills;
• Be a youth (18-30 years old).

Additional Information

This is a volunteer position; NYAN Steering Committee members should be willing to contribute of their own time and energy to develop the Network. However, NYAN recognizes the importance of sustainability and growth and therefore will commit to identify funding opportunities in the short, medium and long terms.

The term and further re-election process is to be determined later; do not hesitate to apply by fear of commitment!

Please send your Resume and a short & sweet Letter of Intent, by July 15th, to: nyaninfo@gmail.com