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Overview
Students are important partners in our education system and our government believes student voice should play a role in shaping it.
The Minister's Youth Council gives students opportunities to share input and perspectives on provincial programs and initiatives.
Student engagement initiatives:
- empower students as leaders of their learning
- provide opportunities to build positive working relationships with education partners
- engage students as leaders of change in their communities
- support leadership development for students at school and community levels
- honour the capability and capacity of students to engage as authentic education partners
Benefits for students
- Practice and acquire skills for a successful future.
- Ownership and sense of responsibility for learning and learning environment.
- Understanding of diverse opinions.
- Dialogue and negotiation skills.
- Greater understanding of governance within Alberta’s education system.
- Increased leadership ability.
- Role in driving change.
- New relationships with a diverse group of students and adults.
- Improved critical thinking, knowledge application and problem solving skills.
- Develop the skills to become effective participating citizens.
Benefits for schools
- Improved relationships between students, teachers, parents, school leaders and education system leaders.
- Programming and policies informed by student input.
- Students take responsibility and ownership of their learning and school community.
- Supports and promotes a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment.
Benefits to system and province
- Collaborative relationships with education partners.
- Access to valuable input provided by students with a diversity of opinions, ideas and lived experiences.
- Improved decision making with a better understanding of students’ varied needs.
- A more responsible education system that reflects greater diversity and inclusiveness.
Minister’s Youth Council
The Minister’s Youth Council consists of 41 junior and senior high students with diverse interests, identities, backgrounds and perspectives from all regions of Alberta. Students on the council provide their perspectives on a number of education topics.
Students are members of the Minister’s Youth Council for a 10-month term that aligns with the school year. During the school year, the council attends 3 meetings.
2020-21 Minister’s Youth Council
Seham Ahmed
Fort McMurray School Division, Fort McMurray
Ebube Anachebe
The Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division, Calgary
Seth Bourke
The Grande Prairie School Division, Grande Prairie
Ariana Boyda
The Wetaskiwin School Division
Linsey Brower
The Prairie Rose School Division, Aden
Katherine Dennis
West Island College Society of Alberta, Calgary
Mikayla Dubois
The Holy Family Catholic Separate School Division, Berwyn
Joey Eddleston
The Buffalo Trail School Division, McLaughlin
Josh Gardner
The Horizon School Division, Taber
Azaad Gill
The Calgary School Division, Calgary
Morgan Gillis
The Lakeland Roman Catholic Separate School Division, Bonnyville
Zahra Hamilton
The Pembina Hills School Division, Edmonton
Erika Heise
The Grande Yellowhead School Division, Edson
Sidney Holt
The Red Deer School Division, Red Deer
Nick Housenga
The Livingstone Range School Division, Fort Macleod
Katherine Karapetrovic
The Edmonton School Division, Edmonton
Napacha (Hymn) Karonsontawong
The Palliser School Division, Calgary
Hasan Khan
The Buffalo Trail School Division, Wainwright
Disen Kottage
The Fort McMurray School Division, Fort McMurray
Sheroog Kubur
The Calgary School Division, Calgary
Jonah Lee
The Palliser School Division, Coaldale
Madison Martell
The Northern Gateway School Division, Whitecourt
Rayna McFeetors
The Edmonton School Division, Edmonton
Melissa Muganga
The Edmonton Catholic Separate School Division, Edmonton
Heyyab Negasi
Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord, Edmonton
Terri Paul
The Red Deer School Division, Red Deer
Sujit Peramanu
The Calgary School Division, Calgary
Sehar Qureshi
The St. Paul School Division, Two Hills
Mika Raber
The Calgary School Division, Calgary
Tacey Robertson
The Parkland School Division, Gainford
Fareedah Sadek
The Fort McMurray School Division, Fort McMurray
Nicholas Samuelson
The Medicine Hat Roman Catholic Separate School Division, Medicine Hat
Tetyana Shelevach
Tempo School, Edmonton
Shayan Siddiqui
Webber Academy Foundation, Calgary
Danielle Simon
The Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division, Calgary
Chloe Slupek
Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord, Sherwood Park
Elliot Strawson
The Rocky View School Division, Cochrane
Tiauna Torchia
The Chinook's Edge School Division, Olds
Lachlan Van Egmond
Westmount Charter School Society, Calgary
Lana Van Genderen
The Lethbridge School Division, Lethbridge
Burhanuddin Yamani
The St. Paul School Division, Vilna
District-level councils
Some school authorities have district-level student councils. These are teams of students who represent the student population from elementary to high school. Usually, the councils work with their school authority leadership and board trustees on educational issues and topics that impact students.
Not only is a district-level student council another opportunity for student engagement, the councils provide meaningful input to school authorities and schools.
District-level councils play different roles depending on the level of engagement students have with system leadership, and on desired outcomes. Councils can:
- serve an advisory role offering advice to school boards or senior leadership on policies or initiatives
- help create policy or lead design projects at their schools
- play a collaborative role with their school authorities by participating in decision-making processes
Regardless of the model or role, the intent is that students are able to provide input on initiatives that impact their educational experiences.
Setting up a council is a collaborative effort requiring support from school authority leaders, school leaders, teachers, parents and students.
Contact
Connect with the Student Engagement Team:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-289-1352
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]