Summit to Highlight Importance of Youth in Nova Scotia’s Economy

For Immediate Release

Halifax, NS – Students Nova Scotia is hosting a Summit on Youth in the Nova Scotia Economy this Wednesday and Thursday, March 19-20 at Dalhousie’s University Club. The event will bring together students with government, post-secondary and business leaders, to discuss the economic challenges facing young people in our province.

The Nova Scotia Commission on Building Our New Economy has described Nova Scotia’s economic circumstances as a ‘crisis’. Our 20-64 year-old population is expected to shrink by 21% between 2009 and 2034. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s youth unemployment rate sits at 19.5%, compared to a national average of just 14%, which is a major factor in youth out-migration.

“This event is all about bringing together young people and decision-makers to understand our challenges and opportunities, and build a movement where we each take action to turn around youth economic outcomes in Nova Scotia,” said StudentsNS Executive Director, Jonathan Williams. “Given the choice between now or never, we’re opting for now.”

The Summit’s starts at 5:30 PM on March 19 with a facilitated conversation about the OneNS Report and the actions we can all take to support youth economic success. On March 20, the event will begin at 9:00 AM and continue throughout the day with speakers, panels and workshops.

Plenary speakers for the event include Andrew Langille, Paul Kershaw, and Sandra McKenzie. Andrew Langille is a Toronto based labour lawyer, internationally recognized labour law scholar and the founder of youthandwork.ca. Paul Kershaw is a professor at the University of British Columbia and founder of the Generation Squeeze Campaign. Sandra McKenzie is Nova Scotia’s Deputy Minister for Labour and Advanced Education. Other prominent panelists include Angela Lewis (Eastlink), David Fleming (NEBA), David Wheeler (CBU), Fred Morley (GHP), Peter Moorhouse (T4G), and Tova Sherman (Reachability). Every panel will be hosted by a student leader or recent graduate.

The event is free of cost and spaces are still available, although going fast. It will be open to the media. More details on the agenda and registration are available at http://studentsns.ca/advocacy/campaigns/economysummit/.

Event partners include the Province of Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University, the Democracy 250 Youth Engagement Legacy Trust, the Nova Scotia Community College, Generation Squeeze, Fusion Halifax, Digital Nova Scotia, the Greater Halifax Partnership the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers.

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Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS) is a not-for-profit and non-partisan advocacy group that represents 38,452 Nova Scotia post-secondary students, including 87% of the university student population. Our members study at Acadia, Cape Breton, Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s, and St. Francis Xavier Universities, the Kingstec Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, and the Atlantic School of Theology.

For more information or questions, please contact:

Jonathan Williams
StudentsNS Executive Director
(O) 902.422.4068
(C) 902.483.5480
(E) director@studentsns.ca