2026 AMO Youth Fellows

Allan Buri is from Port Colborne and is currently studying Public Affairs and Policy Management with a minor in Economics at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Extensive community involvement led him to spend two summers serving in his hometown municipality’s Corporate and Legislative Services departments. Through these roles, he cultivated a profound appreciation for local government’s front-line role in shaping Ontario’s quality of life. He brings this passion to his academics, where he researches municipal finance, governance, and public consultation reform. Furthermore, his diverse experiences working on Parliament Hill, serving as a Senate Page, leading Carleton’s Academic Student Government, and serving on multiple not-for-profit boards have complemented his appreciation for municipal decision-making, including the indispensability of youth involvement.

Allan believes that the challenges facing Ontario’s youth, from the climate crisis to the housing crisis, are overwhelmingly infrastructure and planning opportunities. This places municipalities at the core of building resilient local democracies and equitable communities for the twenty-first century. He is particularly excited to contribute to AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project and Tasks Forces, and learn from both experienced municipal leaders and the other Youth Fellows!

AMO Board mentor: Warden Nathan Townend

Akbar Imran is from Kenora and is currently a third-year Public Administration and Political Science student at the University of Ottawa. Akbar carries a deep passion for public service, municipal governance, and improving how institutions serve communities. His interest in law, policy, and civic leadership has guided his involvement across various levels of government and organizations, where he has contributed to many different initiatives.

Throughout his work, Akbar is driven by his belief in creating “communities of opportunity,” which he defines as strong public institutions, inclusive policy frameworks, and accessible services that enable all people to thrive. During his internship with the City of Kenora, Akbar was fortunate to contribute to the City of Kenora's youth engagement program and to various other policies and initiatives aimed at supporting better connectivity and addressing unique challenges facing a unique city such as Kenora, a regional hub in Northwest Ontario. 

Akbar views municipal government as the level of government closest to people’s daily lives and is passionate about strengthening civic education, inclusive policy design, and community-centred governance. Akbar is excited to work with AMO to learn from municipal leaders, contribute to meaningful policy insights, and help foster stronger, more engaged communities across Ontario.

AMO Board mentor: Mayor Christa Lowry

Rebecca Bekele is an Honours Health Sciences student specializing in Child Health at McMaster University. She is passionate about health equity, poverty reduction, and addressing the social determinants of health through youth-driven and community-based approaches. Growing up in Peel, Rebecca has seen firsthand how municipal decisions shape young people's access to opportunity, services, and well-being.

Rebecca has served on the Peel Poverty Reduction Committee’s Youth Advisory Table since its inception in 2021. Embedded within the Committee’s governance structure, the Table ensures youth perspectives help shape the 2018-2028 Peel Poverty Reduction Strategy. In this role, Rebecca contributes to priority-setting, policy discussions, and systems-level recommendations across the pillars of income security, economic opportunity, and well-being and social inclusion. She also supports the Youth and Poverty: Systems Mapping Project, a three-year SSHRC-funded research initiative examining how structural factors shape youth poverty in Peel.

Alongside her regional policy work, Rebecca has held multiple roles with the City of Brampton’s Cultural Services Department, supporting community-facing programs, youth engagement initiatives, and public events. Rebecca is deeply committed to strengthening youth participation in local decision-making and advancing equitable, community-informed approaches to municipal governance in the Peel Region.

AMO Board mentor: Councillor Sharmila Setaram