Children, Youth and Families Advisory Committee

Mandate and scope

• Advises Council and staff on the development, implementation, and assessment of City policies and services related to children, youth, and families
• Advises Council and staff on enhancing access and inclusion for children, youth, and families
• Identifies opportunities to empower children and youth to have a voice in civic decision making
• Works collaboratively with counterparts from other civic agencies to identify opportunities for joint action on issues of mutual interest
• Works co-operatively with external agencies and groups whose activities affect constituent communities
• Engages in outreach to disseminate information and encourage participation from constituent communities

Meeting and administrative procedures

• The Children, Youth, and Families Advisory Committee holds six regular meetings per year, in addition to working sessions generally scheduled during intervening months throughout the year.
• Type A Advisory Committees may, at their discretion, establish sub-committees focused on relevant topics of interest, non-members may participate in sub-committees and attend regular meetings if invited.
• A member who is absent from more than two consecutive regular meetings without a leave of absence is deemed to have resigned.

Remuneration

• Type A Advisory Committee members and alternate members are eligible to receive reimbursement for certain meeting-related expenses.
• Non-member subcommittee participants are not eligible to receive reimbursement.
• A light meal will be provided to Type A Advisory Committee members attending in-person regular meetings held over lunch or dinner hours.

Eligibility

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

• Not be employed by the City of Vancouver
• Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver
• Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver
• Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities, and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body
• Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity

Term limit

Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve for more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

Terms of Reference

• Children, Youth, and Families Advisory Committee Full Terms of Reference

Membership

Ages 10 - 15

• Winston Chow
• Alicia Li
• Julia Molnar
• Arezoo Paterson
• Marcus Tse
• Freddie Zhang

Ages 16 - 21

• Seerit Boparai
• Kaylee Chou
• Amy He
• Melanie Li
• Ryan Li
• Miles Molhoj
• Jack Molnar

Ages 22 and up

• Swapna Antony
• Madisen Butterfield
• Joseph Dunn
• Wah Gee
• Katie Manning
• Betty Seto
• Andre Yeh

Liaisons

Council Liaison:

• Councillor Lisa Dominato

Staff Liaison:

• Lanny Libby, Social Planner, Arts, Culture and Community Services

Vancouver School Board Liaison:

• Trustee Suzie Mah
• Trustee Preeti Faridkot (Alternate)

Vancouver Public Library:

• Gina Gaudet, Head, Children's Library, Central Branch

Vancouver Police Department Liaison (Acting):

• Inspector Sally Davies, Special Investigation Section

Vancouver Park Board:

• Commissioner Laura Christensen

Terms and Membership Composition

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

• Not be employed by the City of Vancouver;
• Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver; and
• Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver;
• Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body.
• Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity.

Composition:

• 21 members of the public (quorum is a majority of appointed members) representing the following three age groups in equal thirds:
  • Between 10 and 15 at the time of appointment;
  • Between 16 and 21 at the time of appointment; and
  • 22 and older;
• Up to 2 non-voting Council liaison (appointed by Mayor)
• Up to 2 non-voting staff liaisons (appointed by City Manager)
• 1 non-voting Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner liaison and/or staff liaison (optional)
• 1 non-voting Vancouver School Board Trustee liaison (optional)
• 1 non-voting Vancouver Public Library staff liaison (optional)
• 1 non-voting Vancouver Police Department staff liaison (optional)

Length of term:

• Term ends immediately before the first Monday after November 1 in the year of a general local election. However, no regular meeting shall be held between the last day of the nomination period and general voting day.
• Members are appointed until November 1, 2026, at which point appointments are automatically renewable to the end of the term, and recruitment shall be conducted to fill any vacancies arising.
• Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve in more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

In addition to the regular meetings listed here, the Committee also meets several times per year for informal working sessions. These are private meetings. Please contact the Meeting Coordinator for more information.

2025 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2024 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2023 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2022 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2021 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2020 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2019 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2018 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2017 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2016 meetings, agendas, and minutes

The meetings listed below are open to the public.

2015 meetings, agendas, and minutes

The meetings listed below are open to the public.

2014 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2013 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2023-2026 Work Plan

• View the work plan

2019-2020 in Review

An overview of the committee's accomplishments in 2019-2020, along with future goals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no Council of Councils event was held.

• View the poster

2017 in Review

An overview of the committee's 2017 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on October 12, 2017.

• View the poster PDF file (31 KB)

2017-2018 Work Plan

The 2017-2018 Work Plan summarizes the high priority objectives for the committee term and establishes an action plan to achieve those objectives.

• View the Work Plan PDF file (115 KB)

2016 in Review

An overview of the committee's 2016 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on November 9, 2016.

• View the poster PDF file (296 KB)

2012-2014 Term in Review

An overview of the committee's closing term accomplishments and recommendations for continuation of the work was presented at the Council of Council's December 2014.

• View the committee's presentation PDF file (932 KB)