Youth Preparedness Council

The Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) is for Saskatchewan students in Grades 9 to 12 who have a passion for public safety, emergency preparedness and community leadership. The YPC provides a platform for youth to share their ideas, engage in collaborative projects and gain firsthand experience in emergency management and public education.

Selected members will serve on the council from September 2025 to June 2026, participating in monthly virtual meetings with an additional time commitment as required to support student projects. Students will receive mentorship and skills development.

The Youth Preparedness Council is dedicated to empowering Saskatchewan's youth to become leaders in emergency preparedness and public safety.

Meet the 2025-26 YPC Council 

Aaron Rutley

Aaron is a Grade 12 student from Cut Knife, Saskatchewan, and a returning member of the Youth Preparedness Council. He grew up on a farm where he enjoys working on old trucks, helping with farm work, and studying severe weather. 

In 2020, a tornado hit his family’s farm without warning, which inspired him to research better ways to detect tornadoes and get more warnings out. That experience led Aaron to join the Youth Preparedness Council, where he can continue to share his passion for weather safety.

Aaron chases and reports severe weather through CANWARN and SKYWARN programs and runs a YouTube channel called Sask Twister Hunters to help raise awareness. His dream is to study meteorology and make sure no community ever faces an unwarned tornado again. 

Brady Carins

Brady is from Major, Saskatchewan and is currently a Grade 12 student at Luseland District School. He enjoys being active in his community through 4-H Saskatchewan and is a volunteer firefighter with the Major Fire Department. Through his time with the fire department, Brady was introduced to the SPSA, which gave him even more interest in emergency services. He also enjoys working on agriculture projects and restoring tractors.

Brady wanted to become a member of the Youth Preparedness Council because he wants to build his knowledge and skills in emergency preparedness. He is especially interested in fire suppression, fire rescue, and learning more about preventative measures that can help keep communities safe. Brady believes being part of YPC will give him valuable experience and will allow him to contribute to emergency preparedness in a meaningful way.

Emily Sawchuk

Emily is a Grade 12 student from Tisdale, Saskatchewan and is hoping to apply for engineering this year. Her interest in emergency preparedness grew while volunteering as a junior firefighter, and from exposure to various programs in aviation and fire rescue. In her free time, she loves to play trombone and trumpet, does many sports like cross country and archery, and enjoys flying gliders and aircrafts across the prairies.

Emily hopes to learn as much as possible with her time in the Youth Preparedness Council, gain project skills, and make an impact on her community. Although she is interested in the fire, rescue and aviation side of preparedness, she is also excited to discover an even bigger world of opportunities.

Marjorie Eguzo

Marjorie is a Grade 9 student in Regina, Saskatchewan. She loves being active and playing sports, but volleyball is her favourite. Her favourite subjects at school are Physical Education and Language Arts because they give her the chance to move, be creative, and express herself. When Emily is not busy with school or sports, she likes to relax by listening to music and watching anime.

Marjorie is excited about being part of the Youth Preparedness Council because she wants to share ideas that can help people feel safe and supported. She hopes to learn ways to comfort people who may be going through hard times and to help welcome new people to Regina. It’s important to her that everyone feels supported and included, and she will do her best to help make that happen.

Peyton Waldbauer

Peyton is a Grade 12 student living in Emerald Park, Saskatchewan, a town in the RM of Edenwold. A returning member of the Youth Preparedness Council, Peyton is interested in studying physics at university and spends his free time tutoring and hiking. He believes the Youth Preparedness Council will continue to help him learn more about government jobs, improve his communication with coworkers, and hopefully make communities across Saskatchewan safer.

Having grown up in Saskatchewan, Peyton has seen the damage that droughts, blizzards, and fires can do when people aren’t ready for them. Although he knows he can’t stop disasters by himself, he hopes to inspire others to pursue careers in public safety.

Zayan Doctor

Zayan is a Grade 11 student at St. Mary High School in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. His interest in joining the Youth Preparedness Council was sparked by a strong belief in the importance of educating and empowering youth to respond effectively during emergencies through practical skills and leadership.

He would like to gain knowledge about health, emergencies, and natural disasters. After seeing how badly people were affected by the wildfires this past season, Zayan feels motivated to learn how to be better prepared and to help others when situations like that happen again.

Outside of school, Zayan volunteers at the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, where he gets the chance to meet people and give back to his community. He’s also active in sports and plays on his school’s badminton team where he has represented them at provincials. These experiences have helped him build teamwork and responsibility, and he hopes to bring those skills to the YPC.

Zoya Ali

Zoya is a Grade 9 student who was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. As someone who grew up in Regina, she is excited to bring her local perspective to the Youth Preparedness Council. When she’s not studying, you can usually find her reading, crocheting or baking.

Zoya is honoured to be part of this youth council and is eager to contribute in meaningful ways. She’s particularly interested in spreading awareness about emergency preparedness among kids and teens, developing easy-to-understand resources, and bringing fresh, innovative ideas to the table.

She believes that peer-to-peer education is a powerful tool and is looking forward to collaborating with her fellow council members to create effective guides and strategies that will help communities be better prepared for any situation. By working together, she knows they can make a real difference in ensuring safety and resilience in communities.