Elizabeth May recently came to Stelly's to have a student townhall meeting to talk about Canadian government and politics. Thanks Ms. May for coming and sharing with us. Check out the article below written by Helen Gemmrich about the event.
Economy,
Environment, Politics and Youth: Which Item Is Unlike The Others?
Well, it
certainly isn't youth! Students at Stelly's Secondary recently had the
opportunity to welcome Elizabeth May,
Member of Parliament for Saanich - Gulf Islands, to their school for an
interactive, non-partisan
Question and Answer session. Organized by media teacher Aaron Norris, Stelly's
hosted the Teen Town
Hall meeting last Wednesday, April 15 , as an opportunity for students to meet
May personally and to discuss current events.
May created the Teen Town Hall initiative to address the dearth of youth representation at her
riding's bi-annual Community Town Hall meetings. "Oftentimes the community
doesn't even know how involved [in current events] their youth is,” says May.
"It's important to get the word out that, yes, in fact they are very interested
and involved.” By inviting students to meet with her at their schools, she
effectively opens up the communication on both sides. Structured similarly to
their community counterparts, Teen Town Hall meetings offer students the
opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns on current issues, as well as
receive detailed answers to questions ranging from life as a Member of
Parliament to the future of Fossil Fuels, and to Canada's international
reputation. Additionally, they also let May know what issues are currently on
the forefront of her youngest constituents' minds.
The students who
attended the Stelly's Town Hall meeting touched on a variety of topics, notably
Canada's position in the Middle East and Syria, climate change, renewable and
sustainable energy sources, how tax money is distributed, the proposed Bill
C51, empowerment of women and voter turnout. "I like how questions were brought
up regarding the Northern Gateway and Enbridge Pipelines, and that in her
answer, [Elizabeth May] presented a view that was a lot more scientific than
most politicians,” says Sam Wooster, a Grade 12 student at Stelly's. Grade 12
Global Perspectives student Jane Galloway was impressed by the "frank and
honest answers” May offered for even the most controversial of topics.
May and the
students also talked extensively about Immigration, Citizenship, and the
struggles of family reunification under the current immigration laws. Apart
from providing thought-provoking answers to the students' questions, May
captivated their attention as an exceptionally approachable orator. "Ms. May
exhibits an incredible empathy for the stories of individuals, and she
remembers everything and everyone!” Alice Liu, a Grade 12 international
student, had met May the previous year and was amazed by her MP's ability to
recall their meeting. "She was very personable, and asked for everyone's name.”
May repeatedly stressed that her role as a MP was to represent all of her
constituents, regardless of age and political affiliation. "What really stood
out to me was her eloquence and articulation. She did not paraphrase or 'dummy
down' her language; she treated the students as equals,” says Kate Reston, an
English Language Arts and AP Literature teacher, as well as the Model United
Nations coach at Stelly's. Reston was one of the numerous staff that attended
the Teen Town Hall.
May has also held
Teen Town Hall meetings at Claremont, Parkland and Reynolds Secondary Schools. She
hopes to continue holding youth centred meetings in the future; the next one is
slated for Gulf Island Secondary School on Saltspring Island, with details to
be finalized for Mount Douglas Secondary.
- Helen Gemmrich,
Stelly's Secondary Student
