Inclusion BC Youth Leadership & Self-Advocacy Network is a provincial initiative created to amplify the voices of disabled youth and nurture the next generation of disability leaders. Rooted in the long history of Inclusion BC’s advocacy, the network provides a platform where young people connect, learn, and act together to influence the systems that shape their lives. By fostering peer mentorship, leadership development, and collective action, it strengthens both individual confidence and the broader disability rights movement.
Purpose
To ensure that disabled youth in British Columbia have the leadership opportunities, mentorship, and collective power to speak for themselves, shape policy, and drive systemic change toward equity and inclusion.
Roles and responsibilities
Leadership development:
Creates training and mentorship opportunities that equip disabled youth to become confident leaders in their schools, workplaces, and communities.
Advocacy and influence:
Builds youth capacity to engage in policy discussions, advise decision-makers, and advance disability rights at local, provincial, and national levels.
Peer support and solidarity:
Offers a safe space where young people share experiences, build networks, and develop collective strategies for navigating barriers.
Public education:
Raises awareness of the perspectives and priorities of disabled youth, challenging stigma and strengthening recognition of youth leadership in the disability movement.
Key activities
- Hosts workshops, conferences, and youth forums that combine skill-building with policy dialogue.
- Supports youth members in contributing to Inclusion BC’s broader advocacy campaigns, ensuring youth voices are central in provincial advocacy.
- Connects youth leaders with mentors, self-advocates, and organisations across BC to expand networks of solidarity and shared action.
- Publishes stories, media contributions, and policy submissions authored by youth, centring their lived expertise in the public domain.
Governance and structure
The Youth Leadership & Self-Advocacy Network is housed within Inclusion BC, a provincial nonprofit and advocacy society. While supported by Inclusion BC staff and resources, the network is youth-led in direction and priority-setting, with members guiding the issues and approaches pursued.
Focus on equity and inclusion
The network recognises that disability intersects with race, culture, gender, sexuality, geography, and income, and is committed to elevating youth voices across all forms of diversity. Its approach is grounded in accessibility, intersectionality, and a belief in the transformative potential of disabled youth leadership to reimagine inclusive communities.
