CYFC What You Can Do

18 Ways To A Friendlier Community For Children!

There's at least one thing on this list for everyone!

1. Get to know the names of the children and young people who live on your street, and say 'hello' every time you see them.
2. Drive slowly down residential streets where children might be playing.
3. When driving, avoid taking shortcuts through residential neighbourhoods.
4. Strike up a conversation with a child or young person when you find yourself waiting together, such as in a lineup for the bus, for the grocery checkout, or when traveling on an elevator.
5. Look for positive articles about youth in the news media, and write to the media outlet if there are not enough.
6. Recognize the joy and happiness in the sound of children playing.
7. Organize a meeting of your local neighbours and pose the question, "How can we make our neighbourhood more child and youth friendly?"
8. Write to your local Mayor and Council and challenge them to initiate a process to improve the community's child and youth friendliness. Offer to help them in this process.
9. Support plans that create more inspiring places for young people to play, especially when local parks are being planned.
10. Volunteer for any child and youth serving organization.
11. Have a group to which you belong, partner with a child and youth serving organization.
12. Visit your local school and find out if they have information on making their school and school grounds more child and youth friendly.
13. Start 'Block Watch' in your neighbourhood if there is not one - volunteer if there is.
14. At Christmas, or any other time of the year, consider making your gift to someone a donation to a child and youth serving organization that they would support.
15. Suggest that your employer sponsors a discussion of 'what makes a child and youth friendly workplace?'
16. Make sure that your doctor's and dentist's offices are child and youth friendly, with some books and toys for all ages.
17. Do something child and youth related during Youth Week (first full week of May), and encourage your friends and neighbours to get involved.
18. Write to the Society for Children and Youth of BC to get information on Child and Youth Friendly Communities.