Prince George, B.C. –  A first time offer from the City of Prince George for students of local government.

The City has budgeted $6,000 in offering three students the chance to get an up-close and hands-on view of how local government works.

Selected students will be matched with both a political mentor and a staff mentor and will travel with their mentors to one of three local conventions to see what local governments do and the issues it faces.

The City will cover all costs though the City says those chosen “must be willing to commit the time and dedication to participating in and learning from this opportunity.”

City councillor Jillian Merrick chairs the Student Needs Committee – the body responsible for bringing the initiative forward.

She says the experience would first benefit students by exposing them to the workings of local government and also because “there are lots of needs in career and research fields for local government.”

Merrick adds it would also help bring “a youth perspective to the table” while city officials are having those meetings.

Mentoring opportunities will last one week and will take place between May and September 2017.

Eligible participants must be 19 years old, be currently enrolled in an educational institution in Prince George, demonstrate an interest in local government and submit a 500-word summary of their experience in the mentoring opportunity.

She says councillors will be making the final decision on who to accept based on a wide range of factors.

“A whole variety of things. It could be anything from engineering and people who are interested from a public works type perspective to political science to planning. There’s all kinds of educational programs that tie into this opportunity.”

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. this Friday. To learn more, click here.