Sarah Morra, a youth advocate with Vote16 Canada, addressed Port Hope’s Town Council in June. Citing recent breakthroughs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Mont-St-Hilaire, where 16- and 17-year-olds have been included in participatory budgeting or neighbourhood voting, Sarah demonstrated that youth involvement drives change. Joined by fellow youth advocates Aleksi Toiviainen, Paaven Ghuman, and Sam Nadurata, who organized a petition among Port Hope’s youth, they called on council to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to serve on advisory committees like Parks, Recreation and Culture, and the Environmental Advisory Committee. Sarah and Aleksi spent months researching the town’s decision-making processes, refining their proposal, and talking with council staff and the mayor. In a rare and unexpected move, council unanimously voted not only to thank Sarah for her comments, but to formally refer her proposal to its Advisory Committee Bylaw which is currently under review and consider expanded youth participation as part of that process. As Councillor Todd Attridge said, “Every time youth come and speak to us, I'm always impressed". - Aleksi Toiviainen