A Penticton youth has earned a prestigious spot on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Youth Council.
Mac Tebbutt, a third-year engineering student at UBC Okanagan and a competitive rodeo athlete, was chosen from a pool of 14,000 applicants from across Canada for 15 spots on the council.
“One of the prime minister’s election promises was to initiate a youth council to listen and engage youth in areas of mental health, environment, employment, clean growth, agriculture and youth engagement,” Tebbutt said.
Tebbutt is the only representative from BC, and the only council member representing the youth organization, 4-H.
Throughout the fall, Tebbutt participated in video conferences and attended meetings in Ottawa with the prime minister and his fellow council members.
Next week, the council will meet in Calgary for a new set of face-to-face meetings and to welcome a second set of council members.
Tebbutt credits much of his leadership training and public speaking skills to 4-H.
"4-H is an amazing program that teaches leadership, engagement and farm safety," he said.