On Friday, Nov. 21, members of our divisional Student Advisory Board (SAB) had the opportunity to tour the Manitoba Legislative Building. During their visit, they learned about the history of the People's House and gained deeper insight into the provincial branch of government—an extension of the learning they had been doing on governance and advocacy.
As part of the experience, students were invited to a roundtable discussion with the Honourable Tracy Schmidt, Minister of Education. They shared their thoughts and concerns surrounding issues facing youth today. They articulated their opinions on the need for smaller class sizes, lowering the voting age, and other issues directly affecting young people in our community.
"Visiting the Manitoba Legislative Building and getting the opportunity to meet with MLAs, Ministers, and especially the Minister of Education was truly an eye-opening experience," said Yuvi Singh, a Grade 10 student from Dakota Collegiate and member of the SAB.
In addition to the Minister of Education, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Mike Moyes; the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Lisa Naylor; and Members of the Legislative Assembly, Tyler Blashko, Robert Loiselle, and Jasdeep Devgan also attended the roundtable. They were eager to hear the students' thoughts.
"I learned so much from them," Yuvi added. "Most notably, the importance of committing to causes important to you. As MLA Devgan emphasized, young people may not always know where to begin when championing an issue. Sometimes you have to 'just do it,' like joining the divisional Student Advisory Board!"
Organized by the Young Politicians of Manitoba, a national non-partisan advocacy group, the event was an exciting and highly educational opportunity for SAB members, who represent all LRSD high schools.
"The Ministers and MLAs reshaped my view of a politician, showing me that leadership goes beyond authority and power. It is rooted in a person's character and the causes they care about. They were truly an inspirational group of people, and I hope to learn more from folks like them in the future."
