Council for the Town of Altona is keeping the tradition alive of having a youth rep on council. With a quarter of the community under the age of 19, Mayor Harv Schroeder says they want to make sure they're hearing those voices in their decision making.
When selecting a representative to take on the role, Council looks for a person that has an interest in municipal government, community engagement and decision making. Youth reps must be under 18 years old.
Recently, grade 8 student, Avery Fehr, was selected as the new youth representative. He is the youngest to ever hold the position.
"It feels good because I'm the first one, someone's trying something new," said Fehr.
Fehr, who attends Altona's Ecole Parkside School, is also the first youth rep to be selected from his school.
He recently participated in his first Council meeting, and although he admits he has a lot to learn, he's excited for the challenge.
"I want to learn more about our local government, because we watch a lot of news at home. It gets a little confusing sometimes, so I wanted to learn how it all works."
Having a youth rep on Council has been a 20-year tradition in Altona, and Mayor Schroeder says they want to keep it going.