Youth Advisory Council

Aany is a youth advocate who is interested in mental health, accessibility, digital rights, and creating spaces where youth can help shape the decisions that affect their lives.

As the founder of Hidden Hero, she supports a free initiative supporting neurodivergent children and youth with ADHD through practical executive-function workshops, mentorship, and advocacy. She also volunteers regularly at CHEO and serves as a Family Leader with the CHEO Research Institute, helping bring youth and family perspectives into pediatric health research. Through her work on the Youth Council and involvement with the Kids These Days campaign, she continues to advocate for issues that matter to children and youth. As an Ambassador with Countdown for Kids, she advocates for stronger digital protections and safer online spaces for children and youth. In Ottawa, she also helps co-lead BioSpecs, a youth-led initiative working to make STEM and healthcare opportunities more accessible to newcomer and underrepresented youth.

Outside of advocacy, Aany is a lifeguard who enjoys running. Through the Youth Council, Aany hopes to help build a world where every young person knows that their voice matters, their experiences have value, and they have the power to shape what comes next.

I’m Annika, a student passionate about using my voice to make opportunities more accessible for young people. My interest in child rights comes from seeing how much young people have to contribute when they are given the opportunity to be heard. Whether it’s access to education, technology, or a seat at the table, I believe young people should be active participants in shaping the decisions that affect their lives.

Being part of the Youth Advisory Council means having the opportunity to turn that belief into action. I’m excited to learn from other young advocates, share my perspective, and help make sure children and youth are included in conversations that directly impact them.

Outside the council, I’ve been involved in youth advocacy through the Forum for Young Canadians, where I brought issues important to young people to Senators and Members of Parliament at Parliament Hill. Through my FIRST Robotics team, I’ve also worked to make STEM more accessible and inclusive by engaging Girl Guides and Girls Forums and creating opportunities for girls and other underrepresented communities to explore STEM.

Katy is a 17-year-old student from Toronto who is passionate about creating opportunities for young people and ensuring that every child has the resources, education, and support they need to thrive. She is the founder of Her Forward, an international nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls, with volunteers across 25 countries. Through the organization, she has created educational resources, launched a youth magazine, and led initiatives supporting
women and girls in their communities. Through the Youth Advisory Council, Katy hopes to learn from other young advocates
while using her experiences to amplify youth voices and advocate for change. In her free time, Katy enjoys listening to music and exploring cafés in downtown Toronto.

I’m a high school student and youth advocate from Moncton, New Brunswick, and I’m passionate about creating new opportunities for young people to have their voices heard. I’m especially interested in youth engagement, education, equity, and creating positive change in my community.

I’m involved in several youth-focused initiatives, including serving as the President of the Pure Gold Foundation Youth Advisory Committee and being a member of the Moncton Youth Advisory Committee. Through these experiences, I’ve had the opportunity to work with other young people, identify issues that affect youth, and advocate for meaningful change.

I’m also the creator of Student Diaries, a youth-focused initiative that aims to give students a safe space to share their experiences and perspectives on education.

Being part of the Children First Canada Youth Advisory Council means having another opportunity to learn from other young advocates, share my perspective, and help make sure young people are included in conversations and decisions that affect them.

In my free time, I enjoy music, volunteering, spending time in my community, and finding new ways to make a difference.

Crystal is a Grade 12 student in Toronto, Ontario. Although she is interested in almost all areas of human geography, she is especially passionate about international development and public health. She was honoured to be invited to attend the UN
High-Level Political Forum and the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum. As a recognized advocate for youth voices, she has served as a youth advisor to entities including the Hospital for Sick Children, Library and Archives Canada, and Senator Marilou McPhedran. She is also an active member of her community, leading the organization Chess in the Library and captaining her school’s varsity curling team. In her free time, Crystal enjoys playing chess, cycling with friends, and watching association football.

Finn Ye is a 17-year-old youth advocate from Richmond, British Columbia, passionate about ensuring young people have an active role in shaping the decisions that affect their lives. They are particularly passionate about civic engagement, queer rights, and sustainable living, especially creating meaningful responses to eco-anxiety.

To Finn, participating in Children First Canada’s YAC is an opportunity to turn that passion into action. They are excited to work alongside young people from across Canada, learn from diverse perspectives, and help bring youth voices into conversations about children’s rights. They believe advocacy is most powerful when it is collaborative, and that young people bring both lived experience and ideas that are essential to creating meaningful change.

Outside the Council, Finn has represented Canada internationally through debate and public speaking, participated in the Youth Parliament of Canada through CIVIX, and advocated for youth perspectives through the Society of Children and Youth of BC. They have also led projects focused on sustainability and social justice, creating opportunities for hundreds of young people to engage with their communities. These experiences have fostered their passion for using communication and storytelling as tools for advocacy.

In their free time, Finn enjoys playing bass with their band, acting in theatre productions, writing philosophical poetry, and exploring overpriced vanilla lattes.

Hanna Grover is a youth advocate, researcher, and community-builder driven by a deep belief that every child deserves to be empowered to shape the world around them. Through Children’s First Canada and her broader advocacy, she has worked to amplify child and youth voices across issues including health equity, mental health, education, and digital safety. She is excited to be part of the youth council because she sees youth participation as a necessary tool for
creating lasting change.

Hanna founded Poet2Poet, a global youth organization using poetry to advance mental well-being, now reaching 10,000+ young people monthly across 70+ countries. She has led youth well-being research with SFU’s All Families Lab, created health resources reaching 50,000+ BIPOC children, and advocated for digital safety including contributing to a federal
roundtable on Bill C-34 with Canadian ministers. She is a Plan International Canada Ambassador, Jack.org ambassador for mental health, and serves on the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada’s Youth Advisory Council. Her advocacy work has been recognized by the Government of Canada, United Nations, and many others while being featured in CBC, Global News, and more. In her free time, she creates art, plays field hockey, and goes on long walks.

Nina Shulga is a 16-year-old French immersion student from Halifax, Nova Scotia, passionate about youth advocacy, child rights, environmental justice, and ensuring young people have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their lives and futures. Her interest in child rights comes from her belief that children and youth should be heard, respected, and included in conversations about their communities and well-being.

Nina is excited to join the Youth Advisory Council because she wants to contribute a youth perspective to conversations about children’s rights while learning from and collaborating with other young advocates across Canada.

Outside of the council, Nina serves as a 2026 Youth Ambassador with French for the Future, promoting bilingualism, youth leadership, cultural exchange, and inclusion. She is also a 2026 Youth Ambassador with the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, where she is developing her understanding of Indigenous rights, reconciliation, and advocacy. Through CavUnity and other community initiatives, Nina has participated in youth advocacy, volunteering, and community engagement.

Outside of her advocacy work, Nina is an avid reader, especially of science fiction novels. She is trilingual and loves discovering new perspectives through books and exploring the world around her. A fun fact about Nina is that she has travelled to 27 countries.

I’m Sage Hodder, an Indigenous spoken word artist and founder of Oshki-ABA—an organization dedicated to digital safety and identity-based protection education. Tracing my ancestry to the historical Lettbette family, my commitment to child rights stems from my own experiences as an Indigenous youth navigating digital spaces built without protections for kids like me.

My work centres on digital safety and digital sovereignty for Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ youth. As part of Oshki-ABA, I run the SOURCE Project, a workshop series centred on a “learn, belong, create” framework. My background includes roles with the OneChild’s Youth Advisory Squad, an internship as a Youth Educational Consultant, and advisory work with the Honouring Indigenous Peoples Youth-to-Youth program. I’ve also shaped policy by bringing an Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+-inclusive lens to a government submission on Bill C-34 and contributing to “Verified,” an exploitation prevention initiative.

As a Youth Advisory Council member, I ensure young people directly design the solutions affecting their lives. Storytelling guides everything I do—even Oshki-ABA reflects this, translating to “young Anishinaabe people swim in changing waters.” I view cultural identity, resilience, and creative expression as the ultimate protective factors for the next generation.

Jan Nasibog is a 17-year-old, first-generation Filipino immigrant, living in rural Saskatchewan. They are passionate about advocating for children’s rights to fair education and is an active voice for marginalized youth. Over the past few years, Jan has voiced the issues and concerns of hundreds of students as a representative—their mission being to leave a positive impact on Saskatchewan education and help youth gain the quality of life they deserve.

Jan is an active member of their community, ranging from clubs, volunteering, church leadership, to working part-time, on top of other commitments. In their spare time, Jan channels their passion into creating art. Whether it would be through painting, writing, or crafting, they enjoy seeing projects from start to finish.

Having been affiliated with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education as a member of their Youth Council, a Youth Consultation member for the Sun West School Division—and a leader of other
advisory/community councils—Jan looks forward to collaborating with CFC’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) to further advocate for children’s rights nationally. Jan believes the next step in creating a better tomorrow starts by taking the initiative today!

Lily is a student, social media educator, and advocate, passionate about international human rights, climate change, and education. She posts daily climate news on social media, highlighting its disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.

In August, Lily had the privilege of representing the United Nations Association of Canada at the GEF Assembly. That same month, she attended the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York. In October, she will attend the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank, where she will advocate for the inclusion of climate change in K-12 curriculums.

At school, Lily plays an active role on the Environmental and Sustainability Council, student council, and was apart of the
organizing team for her local TEDx event.

Zachary is an 11-year-old from Ottawa, Ontario. He is an avid reader who seizes every opportunity to learn about history, geography and science. This enthusiasm has led him to take engineering classes with the Faculty of Engineering (for kids) at the University of Ottawa.

Zachary is passionate about advocating for children’s rights and raising public awareness about climate change. His involvement with the Youth Canadians’ Parliament (YCP) and  the Children First Canada’s Youth Advisory Council is a testament to his strong belief in amplifying children’s voices. At the age of 10, he became a Child Ambassador for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) –  Voices of Future Generations (a worldwide Project supported by UNESCO) – after winning the silver medal for his book about children’s rights entitled “Reda’s Little Village” .

Zachary is fluent in English, French, and Arabic and is currently taking Italian and Spanish lessons. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, swimming, cycling, and reading. He is also a member of a soccer team in Ottawa.

He is very happy to begin his first year as a member of the Youth Advisory Council for Children First Canada and work with like-minded peers !

Pronouns: She/Her

Adelyn Newman-Ting pronouns she/her is 14 years old from Victoria BC. She lives with her parents and her dog Oscar. Her traditional name is Kesugilakw which means leader born to be, and her Chinese name is Ting Li-Wen. On her mother’s side she is Chinese from Taiwan and on her father’s side she is Kwakwaka’wakw, Coast Salish and English, Irish and Scottish.

Addy enjoys competitive jump roping (which is a sport!), art and field hockey. She is passionate about youth voices being heard as it will be their responsibility to make the world a better place.

When she was 12 she did a TEDxtalk with her father Carey Newman and wrote a book called Finding the Language as a UNESCO child author.

She is very excited to begin her first year as a member of the Youth Advisory Council for Children First Canada.

Pronouns: He/Him

Rayn Asaria is a passionate 12-year-old living in Toronto, Ontario. His mission is to inspire his generation to leave a positive impact on our world and he believes that we can all play our part—from a community level right up to a global view. Rayn is dedicated to ensuring that young peoples’ voices are heard by community leaders and politicians through social media and journalism. He currently attends the Toronto French School and aspires to be fluent in English and French.

He has been featured on Breakfast Television and CHYM 96.7, discussing his love for politics and community service. He is actively involved with Children First Canada, currently a Member of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) and was a Junior Reporter for the 2021 federal election.

Besides leadership, he loves interacting with nature, trying new foods and playing with his two siblings and two cats, Rosie and Rolo.