The Mark 2010

Now is the time to engage young people in innovation if we want to create the “economy of tomorrow.”

There has been much hand-wringing of late as Canadian policy-makers, academics, and business leaders bemoan Canada’s poor track-record of innovation, and think about new ways to create a culture of innovation in Canada. Youth are driving change in a spectrum of areas – from education to business to the environment. It’s about time youth were included in the conversation.

Now is the perfect time to reflect on youth-driven innovation, given the federal government’s recent budget plans “to create the economy of tomorrow” and commitment of $10 million to the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to increase support to young emerging entrepreneurs. This is a pressing public policy issue that is finally getting some attention – but deserves a lot more.

So, what is the state of innovation in Canada? Several recent reports – particularly from the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC), the Competition Policy Review Panel, and the Council of Canadian Academies%20Innovation%20Report.pdf) – highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of Canada’s innovation system. The bottom line: without increased commitment to innovation, Canada will be unable to maintain, let alone improve, its prosperity and global impact, and steps must be taken to chart a new course. Some organizations, notably the Public Policy Forum, are focused on how to move from analysis to action.

Youth are critical to the shaping of Canada’s economic future. Therefore, the development process of a next-generation innovation ecosystem must involve young Canadians.

Canadian youth have encountered challenges in starting up businesses, enabling social change, gaining capital, accessing mentors, cultivating citizen engagement, and facilitating innovation in the public sector – and they have addressed them. They have invented new models and approaches and have brought about innovative solutions to challenges related to entrepreneurship, education, and civic participation, as well as public sector and social innovation.

Let me illustrate with a few examples. Impact Entrepreneurship Group is the result of a few University of Waterloo students who recognized and acted on the need to instill and cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship among high school, college, and university students. The recently held TEDxYouthOttawa, the world’s first for-youth-by-youth TED conference, recognized the need to showcase young entrepreneurs, artists, and social scientists, while provoking conversations that matter. ChangeCamp addresses the demand for a renewed relationship among citizens and between citizens and our civic institutions. It does so by combining face-to-face events and online community-generated media to encourage local dialogue and action. Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone is a space created specifically for students to help take any digitally inspired concept and make it real – whether the idea is a project, or event, or a marketable product or service. These ventures, spaces, and dialogues are only a fraction of the youth-driven change happening across Canada and around the world.

Although young Canadians are creating change in different fields and spaces, they are underrepresented in conversations about Canada’s public policy challenges. Governments must foster more meaningful youth participation on issues that affect society as a whole, not just on obvious “youth issues.” How do we create the conditions for a cutting-edge innovation ecosystem? Well, how about we ask Canada’s young innovators.

The examples above are evidence that young people solve problems, create change, and contribute to creating a better Canada. One would think that initiatives and conversations that seek to improve and shape Canada’s innovation ecosystem for the next generation would naturally include youth. Young people are a source of refreshing insight, unique perspectives, and a new association of ideas. Not to mention, youth are the current engine for innovation in all sectors – research, social, government, and business.

Though there have been many federal government initiatives that have pushed genuine youth engagement, little attention is given to the promotion of youth involvement in policy-making, and there is little recognition of the value that this participation would bring to our economy and society. While senior decision-makers understand the value of reaching across sectors for creative solutions, the notion of reaching across generations is, in most cases, un- or under-harnessed.

Post-downturn, the global economy has become leaner and meaner. International competition for investment, innovation, and attractive business environments will continue to intensify. If we are to improve Canada’s prosperity and comparative advantage, now is the time to engage young innovators and changemakers at all levels of the innovation dialogue.

The Public Policy Forum is committed to engaging young people in mainstream public policy discourse by making conversations accessible, relevant, and meaningful to a younger demographic through its youth-centred initiative PPX, its recently held Innovation Next, and the National Dialogue on Youth Engagement in Public Service.