YouthfulCities welcomes 60 young leaders to Edmonton for first-ever Future of Urban Work Summit

The delegate-led summit is a first of its kind approach to engaging young people in the future of urban work

EDMONTON, Oct. 16, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, YouthfulCities welcomes 60 young leaders to Edmonton for a first of its kind summit on the future of urban work. The summit delegates hail from 16 cities across Canada, including 20 young leaders from the host city – Edmonton. Facilitated with support from national and regional sponsors, including RBC Future Launch and the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC), the summit puts young people at the forefront of insights and ideas around urban work and its future.

The Future of Urban Work Summit is an extension of the 2019 YouthfulCities Urban Work Index, launched in February, 2019. The research, insights and core themes included in the Index form the background for the Summit, which ranked host-city Edmonton as the top city for youth to work in Canada. Key themes for exploration are employment, entrepreneurship, education, work integrated learning and adaptable economies. Sub themes will include how affordability, equity, environment, mental health, and advanced technology affect work. The Summit combines analysis, scenario mapping and rapid solution prototyping. It will culminate with delegates providing concrete ideas to help cities prepare for, and excel at, the future of work.

"For all the talk about how youth will be affected by the future of work, it's rare that young people themselves are at the centre of dialogue and solutions for it," said Robert Barnard, Co-Founder, YouthfulCities. "In creating the Future of Urban Work Summit, YouthfulCities addresses this gap. With 87% of Canadian youth living in cities, the future of work will be urban. Canada needs its cities to excel at urban work to compete on a global stage for talent."

"As organizations, thought-leaders and employers adapt to the future of work, it is incredibly important that young people are represented as an equal voice in these conversations," said Mark Beckles, Senior Director, Youth Strategy & Innovation, RBC. "RBC Future Launch believes in the power and potential of Canadian youth, and we are excited to partner with YouthfulCities for the Future of Urban Work Summit, which shares in this same vision."

"Edmonton is one of Canada's youngest cities with the highest discretionary income in the country. We are one of the most affordable major cities to live in and we have some of the best educational institutions. Edmonton provides a healthy ecosystem for young thought leaders to take a risk so we're incredibly proud to have been recognized as Canada's most Youthful City. Edmonton is at a tipping point and we know these young minds attending the Future of Urban Work Summit will shape our city into a hub for talent, creativity, quality of life and more in the very near future," Cheryll Watson, Vice President, Innovate Edmonton.

Visit the YouthfulCities website for more information on the Urban Work delegates.

About YouthfulCities
Since 2012, YouthfulCities has designed programs that build a unique base of urban knowledge while engaging youth (15-29 years) to design and develop innovative solutions to their cities' critical issues. Our urban indexes ignite an important dialogue about the importance of youth to the future of cities. Our 30Labs and Summits activate youth to create positive change in cities.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 86,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to more than 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.‎

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-sustainability.

About EEDC
As an agency of the City of Edmonton, Edmonton Economic Development's (EEDC) mandate is to recommend economic development policy and strategy for the City of Edmonton, execute strategy as assigned by the Shareholder, and conduct a broad range of economic development initiatives in collaboration with the City of Edmonton and other partners. The organization currently manages the following divisions: Edmonton Tourism, Edmonton Convention Centre, Edmonton EXPO Centre, and Innovate Edmonton. For more information, visit annualreport.eedc.ca.

SOURCE RBC