Winnipeg, MB – Sadie Armstrong has been selected by an external panel of judges as the next Kid Mayor of Winnipeg, Mayor Brian Bowman announced today.
“Congratulations Sadie on being selected as the next Kid Mayor of Winnipeg,” said Mayor Brian Bowman. “Thanks to everyone who submitted an application this year to become Winnipeg’s next Kid Mayor.”
The Kid Mayor initiative is in its second year. It was launched last year as 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.
As the winner, Sadie will be joining Mayor Bowman in July for a day of being Mayor which will include, among other meetings, co-chairing an Executive Policy Committee meeting where she will have the opportunity to present to committee members her ideas on how to make Winnipeg an even better place to live.
In addition to appointing Kid Mayor of Winnipeg, Mayor Bowman identified the runner-up as Deputy Kid Mayor. Unique Anderson has been named Deputy Kid Mayor in recognition of her strong, runner-up ranking by the judges.
Applications submitted as part of the Kid Mayor initiative were reviewed by an external panel of judges comprised of Mark Morris, Sarah Nick, and Ben Carr. Each judge independently reviewed and identified their top three submissions. Of the submissions reviewed by the judges, Sadie and Unique were the only two identified in the top three by multiple judges.
“Thank you to each of our external judges for volunteering your time to review all eligible applications and selecting the winning submission,” said Mayor Bowman.
Mayor Bowman said Kid Mayor is one of several initiatives 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.
Mayor Bowman also introduced this year a Youth Advisory Council to better allow the voice of our youth to be heard at City Hall.
“There are so many young people in our community working hard to make Winnipeg a place we are all proud to call home and this council will provide a platform to communicate, consult, and solicit feedback on issues important to the young leaders of today,” said Mayor Bowman.
The Youth Advisory Council will act as an independent advisory body and resource providing the Mayor with youth perspectives on existing city governance, programs and services, as well as input on various social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues facing the city.
The application period for the Youth Advisory Council recently closed. Its initial meeting is scheduled for later this fall.
“Thank you to the hundreds of kids from across Winnipeg for taking the time to participate in the Kid Mayor initiative over the last two years,” said Mayor Bowman. “Each of you demonstrates just how bright our city’s future actually is, and the Kid Mayor initiative provides 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.”