The Youth Advisory Committee includes students from each high school, who meet, discuss, and advise the city, all from their unique perspective.

They are a hand picked group of teenagers that gives Moose Jaw youth a voice in Moose Jaw and can help give city council insight into what makes some decisions more youth friendly.

YAC are currently trying to reduce the issues surrounding the landfill in the city.

Ha'Keena Maneso, a student at Vanier Collegiate and member of YAC, said the committee brings a new angle to a given situation.
"They're kids who the schools or the city feels would be good representatives for the youth in Moose Jaw. We do lots of different things. We help out with things for different committees. We are and advisory group. So we have people come in asking us for our opinion. What they think the youth might have. We are a fresh pair of eyes and ears for people. We are always willing to give them new ideas, a different angle on things, just to help them figure it out. Right now we are focusing on trying to diminish the issue with the landfill in Moose Jaw."

Nikola Orescanin from Peacock Collegiate, said people would be shocked at how they speak and interact with one another.
"I think for positive change, the group is really good. We all have really good outlooks on everything. We all see things from a different perspective, so one of the challenges might have been us being so strong willed in what we believed in. But it was also very good because then we all saw things from different points of views, which allowed us to understand the situation more, and decide how to develop it in the right way to appeal to everybody."

"The great moments are the spots that people don't see", said Orescanin. "When we're all in a meeting together, and we just have a conversation about something that we're all super passionate about, and it just flows. We all get our own opinions in and it's all heard. It's just this great discussion, and it's all meaningful because everyone cares so much about what they're talking about. We have very adult conversations with each other. The way we discuss things, all of our ideas are from a place of deep emotion. And you lack that a lot nowadays. So when we get to come and talk about what we're really passionate about, time flies. We have 3 hour meetings, and those hours fly. We're all so passionate about what we're talking about, but we're also so willing to morph our opinions and take action and make decisions as a group so that it benefits everyone for the better."

Maneso said being apart of the committee has numerous benefits, and it's a great place to have your voice heard.
"It looks really good on a resume, but also, if you're someone who's looking to have a bigger voice, but you feel that your age or being a youth in a city that is definitely run by adults, this committee is the perfect place for you. You have so many opportunities to have your voice heard. But not only heard, but registered and respected, which I find is huge when you feel that you're a youth who believes that you are educated. Who has a strong opinion that feels that maybe it could do some good. When you're on this committee, you're definitely someone, not just anybody gets on this committee. And so because of that there's that level of respect. And adults seem to listen to us a lot more and they take into consideration what we have to say."

Having teens from each school only makes the committee stronger, said Orescanin. "The different schools all have different kind of committee feels in each school. So each person has a different outlook on each situation, and I feel like having a whole bunch of people in the group from a whole bunch of different surroundings and little communities everyday, gives us all a different outlook on every single opinion we have. Every topic we talk about, every single person in the committee is always involved in the conversation, and we're always giving our own opinion, and everyone has a different opinion but we're always open to understanding each other. You bring what you can from your school, and the culture from your school and the things that you experience from your school and you bring it to the committee and we discuss that kind of stuff and take it into consideration when making decisions."

Maneso said "The plastic bag ban that became a movement recently, we were definitely proud to say that we were a huge part of that. Since last year, that's something that they've been trying to get going, and this year this committee we got it moving."

YAC will be making a presentation to city council on June 24th about compostable bags.