West Vancouver resident and a young politician strategist, James Knight, was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal by Senator Bev Busson and the British Columbian Senate Delegation. The Grade 12 student received the award at a ceremony on February 2. He is also the Managing Partner of Next Gen Youth Political Strategies.
The medal is awarded to Canadians who “have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region, or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.” James received his medal specifically in recognition of his contributions to several initiatives focused on youth engagement in politics. Since the age of 14, James has taken on leadership roles in campaigns at all levels of government on the North Shore.
He served as Co-Chair of Marcus Wong’s 2022 mayoral campaign, Campaign Manager for Wong’s 2023-24 Conservative nomination run, Deputy Campaign Manager for Yuri Fulmer’s 2024 MLA campaign, and in various roles on Stephen Curran’s nomination and general election campaigns, where he currently serves as Director of Communications. James has also acted as an advisor to several other candidates. In these roles, he has amplified youth voices and empowered dozens of young people to participate in politics.
This past summer, James founded Next Gen Youth Political Strategies, a firm that connects young people to political campaigns to manage social media and marketing, as well as provide input on policy. Next Gen’s youth consultants work with candidates to create content that resonates with younger audiences, helping bridge the gap between young people and elected leaders to encourage productive engagement and open dialogue.
Most recently, James has been advocating to the West Vancouver Council to create a youth council, aiming to provide young people with a formal and direct mechanism to offer input on policies that will shape the municipality’s future. Since last spring, James has been meeting with key stakeholders on the council, the school board, and city staff to bring this vision to life. Former Councillor Marcus Wong also received the award.
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