Our Mandate:

1. The Task Force shall act in an advisory capacity, provide advice on issues of concern to youth.
2. The Task Force shall act in an advocacy role, provide new ideas and views to council and staff.
3. The Task Force shall raise awareness in the community through planned events (e.g. Youth Week, Youth Forums, Youth Job Fair, etc.).
4. The Task Force shall encourage youth participation within the community.

In 1994, Mayor Don Cousens decided it was time to better meet the needs of the growing youth population in Markham. He wanted to hear what youth had to say about Markham - what issues are they concerned with, and whether or not the town was providing them with enough employment and recreation opportunities. The result was the Mayor's Youth Task Force, formed for the purpose of providing local youth a voice to provide input and develop initiatives to enhance youth opportunities within the Town of Markham. Shortly after, four Local Area Youth Councils were formed - one for each area of Markham (Milliken, Markham Village, Unionville and Thornhill). The purpose of the area councils is provide local youth an opportunity to give back to their community by planning events, volunteering for various community initiatives and even doing community clean-ups.

The Mayor's Youth Task Force gets involved with many initiatives within the community, from cleaning up the community to working with seniors and planning youth related events. Here are some highlights of some the Task Force's accomplishments:

• Organizing a successful Youth Anti-Violence Conference at Milliken Mills C.C. in April 2000.
• Publishing and distributing the semi-annual Markham Youth Newsletter throughout Markham high schools and elementary schools to educate the youth of Markham about events, opportunities, and issues of importance.
• Developing the Mayor's Youth Task Force Website, a handy website with links to resources for kids and teens.
• Planning exciting events for youth during the annual Youth Week (each year's National Youth Week falls on the first weekend of May.)
• Created an Annual Youth Award. The youth award was developed as a means to give recognition to youth within the town who are actively involved in the community events and affairs. Each year, eight students are presented with an award (two recipients from each of Markham's four communities).