A Note From the BCAC Youth Engagement Committee – May 2020

Announcing new BCAC Youth initiatives:

Monthly Youth Aviation Newsletter

Youth Webinar Learning Series

Aviation Mentorship Program

There is nothing around us that COVID-19 hasn’t affected; it has impacted every quadrant and every facet of our entire world. It has brought the Aviation industry nearly to a halt and to its knees, demanding that we learn how to be patient, innovative, and resilient. It has forced us to reimagine, redefine, and rebuild all the systems that we’ve known so well and relied so heavily upon. It has altered plans and paths for many, and been especially hard-hitting to our Youth Aviation Community: futures that were previously bright and promising are now dark and uncertain. We know that this is a challenging time and we are here to help those around us navigate our new reality.

BCAC’s Youth Engagement Committee is dedicated to serving British Columbia’s Youth Aviation Community. We sincerely thank everyone who took the time and energy to respond to our recent Youth Engagement Committee COVID-19 Impact Survey. From the input we received, we have been able to create new initiatives designed to support youth needs during this time. We are excited to announce that we will launch the following three new programs in the coming weeks:

A YEC Webinar Learning Series will begin in early June, offering valuable skill-building workshops and Q+A interviews online to inspire our young people to maintain growth mindsets, while providing access to the collective expertise and insights of our industry leaders.

A dedicated BCAC Youth Aviation Newsletter will be circulated monthly containing youth-centred industry news and updates, current job prospects and career opportunities, tips and advice from our industry leaders, and more.

An Aviation Mentorship Program will begin in early fall creating new opportunities to build and grow industry partnerships that can help our young people overcome the unique challenges they face in the wake of the pandemic.

We anticipate the industry recovery from COVID-19 will be slow and fragmented, and we believe that offering multi-faceted support throughout this process will help our Youth Aviation Community to maintain hope, momentum, and most importantly, passion.

Stay tuned for updates as we rollout these new programs, and please contact the Youth Engagement Committee if there’s a way that we can specifically help you or those you know who may be struggling during this challenging time.

Sincerely,

Kelly Jamieson

Chair, BCAC Youth Engagement Committee