The Council of Canadians was helping to get out the youth vote last night at the University of Regina.
Our Vancouver-based Get Out the Vote campaigner Brigette DePape and Edmonton-based Prairies-NWT organizer Chris Gallaway were on campus to meet with young people, learn about challenges and opportunities of mobilizing youth for the 2015 federal election, and plan creative ways to get out the vote.
DePape comments, “It was so fun! Thanks to all those who came and shared the real issues they want to see change on, and for your great ideas for how we can get out the vote.”
Prior to the forum, DePape was interviewed by Radio-Canada about our Get Out the Vote campaign. Radio-Canada says, “The Council of Canadians, a group that promotes social justice and democracy, is in Regina as part of its national tour to encourage youth participation in elections. The group estimates that two out of three have not exercised their right to vote in the last federal election. To learn more about the efforts of the Council of Canadians in this election year, Estelle Sroka-side chats with Brigette DePape, who will give a lecture tonight at the University of Regina to encourage young people to vote and to end the reign of Stephen Harper.” To listen to that interview (in French), please click here.
Today, there will also be a follow-up training and event to collect vote pledges from students on campus (from 12 pm to 2:30 pm at Room 286 in the Riddell Centre). DePape adds, “We’ll be learning effective ways to speak with other students about voting, and collecting vote pledges – building a base of youth ready to be active in the 2015 election!”
Last night’s event was done in partnership with the Regina Public Interest Research Group. It was also part of the 2015 Game-Changers Tour, a series of events and trainings across the country. The first event in this tour took place on February 25 at the University of Winnipeg. To read Brigette’s Winnipeg Free Press op-ed published the morning of that event, please click here.
Brigette will also be going to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby on March 16, Nippissing University in North Bay on March 19 (tbc) and Ryerson University in Toronto on March 23 (tbc).
For more on our Election 2015 campaign, please click here.
Further reading
Council of Canadians launches get out the youth vote campaign in Winnipeg today (February 2015 blog)
Photos by Chris Gallaway.
