Leadership and Vision

Five Good Ideas on working with youth to bridge the democratic deficit

Sharif Mahdy

Published on January 6, 2025

January 27, 2025
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET

Youth play a critical role in our democracy, and it’s time we worked with them to address the democratic deficits in our society. In this session, Sharif Mahdy will focus on exploring 30+ years of best practices in engaging youth to act on the issues of our time. He will share his five ideas that demonstrate how effective youth-adult partnerships can bridge our democratic deficits.

Sharif will be joined by a member of the Students Commission of Canada’s #CanadaWeWant Facilitator Roster. The “Facilitator Roster” is a group of youth of diverse lived experiences and backgrounds that work inter-generationally with the Students Commission of Canada to support the organization’s governance and programs.

Sharif Mahdy

CEO, the Students Commission of Canada and the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement

Sharif is the CEO of the Students Commission of Canada (SCC) and the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement. Sharif has been with the SCC since 2010 and is accountable for ensuring the cultural and financial sustainability of the organization. Sharif is also accountable for the long-term strategic visioning and operational excellence of the organization. Sharif has an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences from the University of Western Ontario. He also has a Masters of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University. Sharif is also the Volunteer Chair of the National Alliance of Children and Youth (NACY): a national charitable organization that brings organizations together in a collaborative network dedicated to enhancing the well-being of children and youth in Canada. Sharif sits on several non-profit Boards including the Catalysts’ Circle (Past Chair), the Child Development Institute (Vice-Chair), and Mentor Canada (Treasurer).

The Students Commission of Canada is a national inter-generational charitable organization that works with others to ensure that young people’s voices are heard, valued, and that their ideas for improving themselves, their peers, and their communities are put into action. Since 2000, the SCC has led the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement: a national network of youth-serving organizations, policy-makers, youth, and academics interested in identifying and sharing best practices on meaningful youth engagement.