On Sunday, March 22nd, members of Youth Parliament gathered for our 2015 Annual General Meeting. The meeting was a great success, and included several addresses from the organization’s executives, as well as a productive discussion coming from the membership. Speaker Brent Hardy summed up the last year for the organization, followed by current Premier Kamal Dhillon, who spoke about the goals and direction of YPM for the following year. They stressed the importance that partnerships will play in the future of the organization, particularly our new found partnerships with Aboriginal Youth Opportunities and Parliament Jeunesse Franco-Manitobain. Inclusivity and diversity are at the heart of YPM’s efforts, as the organization tries to reach out to a wider, more diverse group of Manitoba youth than ever before.
The membership also took a giant leap forward in voting to amend all of our governing documents to be completely gender neutral. As part of our effort towards including all potential members of YPM, the membership found it necessary to make official the organization’s openness to all gender identifications. Our bylaws and governing documents are now equipped with entirely gender neutral language, as well as a gender neutral dress code for our annual Winter Session.
After the meeting, members went to Kawaii Crepe for a (delicious) post-AGM event. The high attendance and enthusiasm expressed by the membership is a promising sign that YPM94 will continue to build on the successes of the past few years of the organization.
Join us on May 7th for Speaker’s Night, a gala dinner hosted by Youth Parliament of Manitoba. The event will take place at the Winnipeg Winter Club, and we are honoured to have Wab Kinew as this year’s keynote speaker. For more details, visit speakersnight.ypmanitoba.ca