YOUTHSCAPE HRM’S MARKET PLACE: WHERE EVERYONE IS WELCOMED AND HEARD! 

This past April, over 40 people (mostly youth) from different backgrounds came together in the Halifax Regional Municipality to discuss diversity at YouthScape's second MarketPlace. MarketPlace events are YouthScape HRM's innovative new strategy to create a supportive and fun space that encourages inclusivity, youth/adult partnerships, and meaningful engagement of the community.

At a MarketPlace, young people are front and center.
They plan and prepare for the event ahead of time and together they share the facilitation of the evening's conversations through dynamic activities that ensure everyone has a say. Everyone is welcome and each event grows with more new faces than the last!

Suppertime is a great opportunity for participants to break from their conversations about the meanings and impacts of a particular issue, such as diversity. The adults and young people are provided with some time to eat together, socialize, play and have fun. Video games, like Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution, have proven to be a great way to engage all generations, in a fun way. Through play, walls come down to create a safe and supportive environment and this helps to release any tension or shyness that might have been present. The vibe in the room is always different after we've played together, and community members really start to open up.

Each month, there is a new topic of discussion and opportunity to get a taste of YouthScape HRM and its approach. Community members, of all ages, can contribute to the vision of youth engagement and a healthy HRM while discussing issues from different points of view. It is a first step in providing their community with a space to share perspectives, ideas and suggestions on issues affecting young people and to building a strong, more resilient and inclusive community.

Congrats to HRM's youth for inspiring the MarketPlaces and nudging YouthScape HRM's team to be innovative and think outside the box!

In HRM, the term diversity means: “People from different backgrounds”, “People with different tastes in music”, “People with different tattoos”, “People of different ages, genders and experience", etc.