My name is Mya Nantambu. I, like many young people, travel in my community by foot. Every daily commute to school and to my part-time job, I grew frustrated with the local roads and unsafe crosswalks I had to walk on and cross. As a high school student, I believed our dangerous roads, sidewalks and lack of bike lanes were unavoidable, not a product of poor urban design and unsafe infrastructure.
When I discovered the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council, I realized that my issue was a legitimate concern shared by others, and this discovery inspired me to learn more about how urban planning shapes cities.
Through Parachute, I have strengthened my advocacy skills. In my second year of university, I attended a public planning meeting for residents of my local community. Despite being the only young person and student, I confidently voiced my concerns about unsafe intersections and the quality of bus stops. If I hadn’t advocated for active and public transportation users in my community, they may have never considered our experiences.
As youth, we know that decisions being made now will be the decisions that shape our future. The road to advocacy may not always be clear, but I’ve learned that a bit of curiosity about an issue I care about could lead me to being a youth advocate. Now, as an aspiring planner, I bring my experiences in road safety advocacy to every decision-making process, in hopes of safer roads.