Joining CAYAC

Participating in CAYAC will give you the chance to:

I have become more confident and able to articulate my opinions. I have also been exposed to hear about/consulting on areas of health care I wouldn't have otherwise, which has helped broaden my perspectives.

Who can join?

CAYAC is open to any youth ages 12-18 from Southern Alberta Red Deer South). No special skills are required, but every effort is made to form a diverse group by considering age, gender, geographic location, background, and child health and life experiences.

Each year we have a limited number of vacancies. We set a recruitment criteria for potential members in order to fill gaps that have been identified in the diversity of our group.

What is the application process?

Applications for the next CAYAC year are accepted from June to August each year.

If you are interested in becoming a CAYAC member and fit the recruitment criteria, please complete and submit an online application form between June 1^st and September 10^th.

Applicants who meet our recruitment criteria will be invited to the first CAYAC meeting in September, to experience a meeting and decide if you're still interested. To help with the selection process, all interested members will be interviewed after the September meeting.

Once selected, all CAYAC members are registered as volunteers with Alberta Health Services Volunteer Resources. You will be asked to complete an online orientation and to complete the following forms:

AHS Confidentiality and User Agreement Form
Photo/Video Education and Media Consent Form
Parent Consent Form
Police Information Check (completed at a police station)

What's expected of me?

Be an active member for at least one year
Attend the 6 Saturday meetings between September and May
Participate to the best of your ability, listening to others, and encouraging others to share their ideas and viewpoints
Find ways to bring ideas and suggestions from other children and youth in your local area
Take part in at least one additional project within CAYAC (e.g. small group consult)
Assist the Council in finding new members
Help to decide how the Council works, what projects it takes on, and how it's run
Maintain regular communication with the CAYAC coordinators through email, phone calls, etc

For more information see the Terms of Reference.

When do we meet?

We meet 6 times a year on Saturdays. We anticipate having a mix of in-person and online meetings.

There are optional opportunities throughout the year to provide your input and feedback through email responses, small group consultations, and participating on working groups or committees. CAYAC members are also called upon to share the youth voice at events such as education sessions or conferences.

CAYAC Recruitment Criteria

CAYAC has limited space for new members. As a result, we are only recruiting new members that fit specific criteria to ensure that our membership reflects a broad representation of youth from Southern Alberta. Please consider applying for CAYAC if you are between the ages of 12 and 16, have an interest in improving the health care system and health care experiences for other youth, and you fit at least one of the following criteria:

Live in a Southern Alberta community outside of Calgary (from Red Deer south)
Have significant experience as a patient^* of Alberta Children's Hospital, the Child and Adolescent Addiction and Mental Health Program, or other health care facilities
Are a sibling or family member of a child or youth who has had significant experience as patient^* of Alberta Children's Hospital, the Child and Adolescent Addiction and Mental Health Program, or other health care facilities
Live with a disability or chronic health condition
Are a youth from a diverse background
Have experienced adversity in your life which has had an impact on your overall health, mental health or well-being

* patient experience refers to inpatient, day patient or outpatient experience

Applications will be accepted from June 1^st to September 7^th. Applicants who meet the recruitment criteria above will be invited to come to our September meeting, to experience a meeting and learn about CAYAC. Applicant interviews will take place following this meeting.

If you are interested in becoming a CAYAC member and fit the recruitment criteria, please complete and submit an online application form,

Listening to the Voices of Children and Youth

Current as of: June 08, 2023