My Vote Counts
Y4Y Québec’s civic engagement initiative My Vote Counts is a province-wide voting campaign that encourages soon-to-be (those under 18) and current voters (ages 18-34) to participate at all levels of elections. Throughout the project, youth leaders from various regions of Québec engage youth by creating fun and captivating social media content that educates them about voting. The primary mission is to inform, encourage, and mobilise youth to hit the polling booth!
For more information on the youth voting turnout rate for those aged 18-34, check out the statistics below!
Check out
the three-part video series
This video is the first in a three-part series that dives deeper into the role of youth in civic engagement.
Part 1 focuses on the importance of voting, the impact of youth participation, and how young people can ensure their voices are heard on the issues that matter to them.
This initiative would not have been possible without the collection of funds by various organisations and the Canadian Government’s supplementary funding.
Thank you to the organisations that donated to My Vote Counts!
Meet The Team
Project Coordinator
Cecilia Eraso
(She/Her)
Project Coordinator
Cecilia is a proud dual citizen that immigrated to Montréal. She graduated with a B.A in Political Science with a focus on Latin American politics that included researching human rights violations, disenfranchisement, and urban displacement. Her multicultural upbringing and academic experience relate to the challenges encountered by allophones and the English-speaking minority. As an active advocate, with an additional passion for the visual arts, she aims to encourage the youth to be creative and persistent in their pursuits.
Content Creators
August Sibthorpe
(She/Her)
Content Creator
August is a filmmaker based in Montréal, QC. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours BSc in Biomedical Sciences - Medicinal Chemistry, and went on to study screenwriting and immerse herself in filmmaking. She loves collaborating with others and finding creative ways to convey ideas, and outside of film, she coaches dragon boat and strives to maintain an active lifestyle. She’s thrilled to get more involved in the community with Y4Y's My Vote Counts project to spread awareness about youth voting and opportunities in Québec and to encourage youth to exercise their right to vote.
Diego Cervantes
(He/Him)
Content Creator
Diego is currently obtaining a degree in communication studies at Concordia University. He currently works at the Concordian newspaper as a videographer and editor, where he specialises in interviewing and documenting cultural and political events in Montréal. He is passionate about learning about political issues that affect many communities in Montréal, believing that highlighting these issues empowers those marginalised communities. Through this role at Y4Y Québec, Diego aims to use his video creation skills to create engaging videos that helps the youth vote in Québec.
Nisrine Chibli
(She/Her)
Content Creator
Nisrine is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Strategic Project Management at Université Laval, following her studies in international business management and strategy at ESSEC Business School in Paris. As VP Communications for APMAL, she creates and manages strategic content for the second-cycle students' association. She has led communication initiatives for the MBA Games, where she secured first place in the 2024 national debate, and she represented Université Laval at the Model African Union in Washington where she won two prizes. Nisrine is passionate about youth engagement, collaboration, and making a positive impact through strategic communication.
Candice Zhong
(She/Her)
Content Creator
Among experiences as an event manager, aviator in training and other things, Candice is a law student who also worked as a knowledge mobilisation leader since 2021. With COMPASS, one of the largest longitudinal study on youth health in Canada, she creates content to demystify research and collaborate with scholars to disseminate results. Having served as a deputy returning officer in previous elections, she hopes to see more youth using their voting rights and getting engaged in our democracy!
Michelle Della Corte
(She/Her)
Content Creator
Michelle's background is in urban agriculture where she worked in various green projects in Montréal meant to showcase the importance of urban agriculture, foster citizen engagement, and teach the community the importance of organic gardening. During her time in agriculture, she learned about the efficacy of small scale food security initiatives. Because of her skills in event coordination and agriculture, Michelle was inspired to create Fungi Fest Mtl, Montréal's first mushroom festival which seeks to showcase the wonderful world of fungi to the public. Della Corte loves to foster a sense of community in her projects, build connections, and help create a thriving sustainable food system. She is very excited to be part of the My Vote Counts project with Y4Y to help bolster the youth voter turnout and showcase the necessity of the vote.