Winnipeg, MB – Nazar Viznytsya has been selected by an external panel of judges as Kid Mayor of Winnipeg, Mayor Brian Bowman announced today.
“Congratulations to Nazar on being selected Kid Mayor of Winnipeg,” said Mayor Brian Bowman. “I want to thank everyone who submitted an application to become Kid Mayor. As well, thank you to our external panel of judges for volunteering their time to review all eligible applications and selecting the winning submission.”
As the winner, Nazar will be joining Mayor Bowman on Tuesday May 15 for a day of being Mayor which will include, among other meetings, co-chairing next Tuesday morning’s Executive Policy Committee meeting where he will have the opportunity to present to committee members his ideas on how to make Winnipeg an even better place to live.
Launched earlier this spring, Kid Mayor was a fun, educational initiative aimed at building a greater appreciation for and understanding of municipal government. All kids between the ages of eight and twelve living in Winnipeg were eligible to apply. Applicants seeking to become Kid Mayor of Winnipeg needed to explain what they think Mayors do, and what they would do to make Winnipeg an even better place to live and why.
In addition to appointing Kid Mayor of Winnipeg, Mayor Bowman also identified Gabi Wagner as Deputy Kid Mayor in recognition of her very strong, runner-up ranking by the judges.
“Thank you, Gabi, for entering the Kid Mayor contest and for submitting very thoughtful ideas on how to make Winnipeg a better place to live,” said Mayor Bowman. “Because of your very strong runner-up submission, I thought it fitting to recognize your effort as well, and I’m glad you’ve accepted the appointment as Winnipeg’s Deputy Kid Mayor.”
Over 250 applications were submitted as part of the Kid Mayor initiative of which about 200 met the eligibility criteria. After all identifying information (name, age, address, etc) was removed, eligible submissions were then reviewed by an external panel of judges comprised of community leaders that included the Hon. Gary Filmon, Johanna Hurme, Ace Burpee, and Sarah Nick. Each judge independently reviewed and identified their top three submissions. Of the over 200 eligible submissions reviewed by the judges, Nazar and Gabi were the only two identified in the top three by multiple judges.
Mayor Bowman said Kid Mayor was the latest initiative undertaken to engage Winnipeg’s youth in civic government.
Kid Mayor builds on initiatives including the creation of Winnipeg’s first Council Liaison position for School Board and Youth Opportunities, creating the Mayor’s Scholarship for Community Leadership which recognizes and rewards the efforts of high school students who are helping make Winnipeg a stronger community, and undertaking to visit every high school in Winnipeg to directly speak with and listen to students.
The Mayor noted the application window for the Mayor’s Scholarship for Community Leadership remains open until May 18, 2018. Applications can be submitted online at www.mayorbowman.ca.
“Being Mayor is an incredible responsibility,” said Mayor Bowman. “Nazar and Gabi, together with so many of the other submissions from kids across Winnipeg, underscore not only an incredible amount of pride in our city, but also a genuine sincerity and concern for the well-being of our city’s residents as well as the health of our environment and the quality of our services.”
“Thank you to the hundreds of kids from across Winnipeg for demonstrating just how bright our city’s future actually is,” said Mayor Bowman. “As our city grows, it’s important to find ways to keep our youth and their parents engaged in civic government, and it’s also a great opportunity for elected members to learn from our kids about how we can make Winnipeg an even greater city to live, work, and play in.”