Applying for a seat on the Prime Minister’s Youth Council was an easy decision for Macgregor “Mac” Tebbutt, a second-year student in the School of Engineering.
Tebbut was one of 14,000 applicants from across Canada — and the only applicant selected from BC.
“One of the Prime Minister’s election promises was to initiate a Youth Council,” Tebbutt says. “He wanted a diverse group of youth from across Canada to bring forward ideas and discussion in regards to youth, engagement, employment, agriculture, health and clean growth.”
Tebbutt is heavily involved in the 4-H program in his hometown of Penticton, where he recently served a two-year term as one of BC’s 4-H ambassadors. He has traveled throughout BC to engage rural youth in the 4-H development program, taught public speaking, and interacted with the media on TV, radio and newspapers. He also developed a new safety program for equine athletes.
Youth Council members serve a two-year term and travel to Ottawa, in addition to meeting with the Council and Prime Minister via videoconference.
Among the topics Tebbutt would like to promote during his term in the Youth Council is health care — especially in rural areas — as well as 4-H and agriculture.
Tebbutt notes that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted each Youth Council member by name when he walked into the room for the Council’s first meeting.
“We found out later that the Prime Minister reviewed the top 50 applicant video interviews, and had selected us from those interviews.”
Tebbutt was contacted by the 4-H Head Office in July 2016 about the upcoming 25-page application for the Prime Minister’s Youth Council, which asked for information on Tebbut’s leadership activities, community service and project involvement.
As well as being an accomplished student, Tebbutt is a competitive rodeo athlete. For more than 10 years, he has been actively involved in the 4-H Club, one of Canada’s longest running youth organizations.
Congrats Tebbutt!