St. Thomas University Bachelor of Social Work interns Rebecca Arsenault, Jalen Borden, Jamie McNeil, Alex MacAulay, and Megen Gaudet are working in my constituency office on two projects. The first addresses bringing the voice of youth into the Legislature, the second concerns poverty.

Youth comprise a significant part of our population that are without a voice on issues that concern them in New Brunswick. Youth often feel dis-empowered and ignored when it comes to political matters. Jamie and Alex are developing a proposal for a Youth Assembly that would formally interact with the Legislative Assembly, and a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of the youth voice to the development of government policy. Young people care, and they have crucial and valuable perspectives to share concerning the problems within our city and province.

Rebecca, Jalen, and Megen are working to raise awareness about poverty in the Fredericton area and the many barriers and challenges people face when on social assistance. They are planning a media campaign that will describe the reforms needed in social assistance policies. This will include a commentary to explain the difficulties in accurately measuring poverty and in
describing how poverty is experienced differently by those who live it.