TORONTO - Ontario鱿鱼视频app Student Advisory Council, which brings together students from all over Ontario, is lively, full of discussion and debate.
The council, a yearly initiative created in 2009 by the Ministry of Education, consists of 60 students in all sectors of the education system, including Catholic boards. The students participate in discussions, team-building and leadership activities, as well as identify issues within their schools and offer suggestions for positive change.
Gary Wheeler, senior media relations co-ordinator at the Ministry of Education, said the purpose of the council is for members to share their ideas and advice with the Minister of Education on how to ensure Ontario鱿鱼视频app schools remain 鈥渢he best in the world.鈥�
鈥淭he council is about empowering you to 鈥榖e the change,鈥� 鈥� Wheeler said in an e-mail. 鈥淚t is an opportunity to think big, SpeakUp (programs to engage students academically and socially) and take action to help other students across the province.鈥�
Ben O鈥橬eil, now a Grade 10 student from the Ottawa Carleton Catholic School Board, says he didn鈥檛 necessarily find Catholic students were equally represented on the council, but that it didn鈥檛 really matter.
鈥淚t was students from every board, every different place from Barrie to London, North Bay, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Toronto,鈥� O鈥橬eil said. 鈥淚t shows you that no matter what school it is, Catholic, public 鈥� we are all students, we are all equals.鈥�
O鈥橬eil applied to be on the council for the one-year term through the encouragement of a friend. The council met for the first time in May of this year, and met again in August before the school year begins after Labour Day.
O鈥橬eil says meeting with different students from all over the province was an eye-opening experience.
鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app interesting to see that there are those similarities, those basics,鈥� O鈥橬eil explains. 鈥淓very school has bullying. We have more faith-based groups, but it鱿鱼视频app interesting to share ideas.鈥�
For Alicia Pinelli, a graduating student who represented the Niagara board, being on the council has been an 鈥渁mazing experience.鈥�
鈥淚t seemed that the Catholic students all kind of gravitated (to talk about) things that weren鈥檛 common in our schools, weren鈥檛 open in our schools,鈥� Pinelli said. 鈥淭he public schools are more open to a lot of different things. It was a good experience to see how the two interacted, how the two could change each other.鈥�
But not everyone thought all the discussions were particularly productive.
Enrique Olivo, an incoming Grade 11 student from the Toronto Catholic District School Board, felt a bit of a backlash towards Catholic schools, especially when discussing the issue of Gay-Straight Alliances.
鈥�(No one wanted) to say anything controversial,鈥� Olivo said. 鈥淎t times you could feel the tension.鈥�
Still, Olivo, who will also act as treasurer of his school鱿鱼视频app student council this year, thinks the advisory council does good work.
鈥淲e covered a whole bunch of issues: dealing with mental health problems and how schools should focus on that, technology in the school, a little bit about equality amongst races, sexual orientation.
鈥淭he council will definitely make a lot of changes.鈥�