STUDENT COUNCIL

When I first started high school back in grade nine, I was not involved in any extra-curricular activities. I just let life pass me by and I seriously lacked motivation due to me still going through the culture shock of emigrating from Nigeria to Canada the past year in grade eight.

Thank fully one of my teachers recognized my potential saw how I was wasting my abilities so she sent me to the Ontario Education Leadership Centre so see how much of a difference I could make in the world if I applied myself and took initiative.

When I attended OELC, I met some really inspirational leaders whom I learned a lot from, I made some important friends and my perception of the concept of leadership was forever changed. I took a risk and went to a conference with about 300 people who I did not know in the slightest; at a place I had never been to before.

There, I was inspired and encouraged to join my student council by the loving people and the positive atmosphere of leadership present there. I have been on my student council since Grade 10, serving as the grade representative in Grade 10 and 11, to ultimately become the president this year.

At the beginning of the year, I asked myself and the rest of my council to reflect on my past two years on student council and what we felt needed to be changed. Then I realized that that was the wrong course of action because we needed to know how the student body felt. So I set about creating and implementing a student satisfaction survey during the beginning of the year to find out what the students want because I believe it is important to take everyone’s opinions into consideration when making decisions.

Our student council also made a more efficient use of the grade reps by making sure they were constantly in tune with the needs and wants of their grade. I think our student council has done well so far this year and everyone in the school including teachers have commented on the significant improvement. Due to our inclusiveness this year we have been able to put on events like our Terry Fox BBQ, Holiday Assembly, Halloween Fair and new initiative like an Anti-Bullying Campaign and Fun Fridays with Music, Karaoke and Video Games in the cafeteria.

I have made sure everyone on our student council understands the importance of working hard together. I have also ensured that we are a more cohesive group by arranging get-togethers outside of school and introducing a student council secret Santa. At the beginning of the year we were just a group but now we are a family. My vision for the rest of the school year is to carry on the momentum we have right now and make sure that every single student at the school feels like their voice is being heard.

 

BRAMPTON MAYORS YOUTH TEAM

 

My journey on the Brampton Mayors Youth Team started when I volunteered at a Children’s Mental Health Association fair in which I met the mayor. I had previously got knowledge of the opportunity on the internet but I wasn’t if I should have applied until I met the Mayor of the city at that fair.

She was there addressing the public at this very important event, and I built up my courage and introduced myself to her. I asked her about the Mayor’s Youth Team and she told me that I should most definitely apply. I always think back to that day and I am very grateful for the confidence she instilled in me that day. The Mayor's Youth Team's purpose is to liaise between Brampton youth and the Mayor and City Council, and to help make Brampton a better place for youth to live in. We put together multitudes of events for youth to participate in to encourage a sense of togetherness and unity in our community. Our second major mandate is to actively volunteer in our community to give back and get involved.

When I first joined the Mayor’s Youth Team I was a general member but it was my significant contributions during the meeting and my active volunteering through the organization that made our Youth Coordinator take notice of me.

 

As the months went by, I became an integral member of the group and started chairing some meetings. Although everything seemed to be going fine, I noticed that there was a severe lack of organization in our group and it was starting to take a negative toll. People stopped attending meetings regularly, during meetings people spoke over each other, had side conversations and outside of meetings people did not volunteer as much. A couple other members and I saw this as an opportunity to take initiative and we started a re-organization of the group. We helped stabilize things and write up a new code of conduct for members of our group which led to a lot more organization. With the help of our Youth Coordinator, we established an executive council and a general council which led to staggering amounts of productivity.

 

Due to all of the tireless hours we put into reform of the group, The Brampton Mayor’ Youth Team is thriving once again. Last year we were able to put on great events for the youth of Brampton such as Amazing Race Brampton, an art exhibit, an open mic night, a youth jam concert and a “career dating” night where youth can find their perfect career match. With our new found structure we were able to put on all these events for the youth which led us to achieve the Platinum Level Youth Friendly designation by Play Works Partnership and now Brampton is officially Ontario’s most youth friendly community. My goal for the rest of the year is to continue to make the city of Brampton a better place for youth in my role as Executive Manager for the Brampton’s Mayor Youth Team.

 

 

PDSB AND OSTA STUDENT TRUSTEE

A daunting task that I challenged myself with was when I ran for student trustee of the Peel District School Board. The student trustee represents the student voice of all 150,000 students in public schools, located in Brampton Mississauga and Caledon. Initially I thought I had no chance of winning, and I even considered removing myself from the elections. It wasn't until I gave my first public campaign speech that I realized that I have the power to make change on a larger scale in my community and possibly province. Some part of me still doubted that I was going to win until received an email from the Peel District School Board, on April 2 2014, congratulating me for being elected as a Student Trustee. This day was very memorable for me because April 2 is my birthday and I could not have asked for a better present.

 

My burning passion for student voice fueled my campaign and helped me convince my peers across the Peel District School Board to put their trust and faith in me. Getting elected as student trustee helped me get past my fear and I was able to run for, and win, an executive position as the Administration Officer on the Ontario Student Trustees' Association, which collectively represents the student voice of the 2.4 million students in Ontario. I truly feel that being a student trustee is an extremely important position to be in because it is the chain that exists to link the school board and its students. Without student trustees, the voice of the students in the school board would not be accurately represented and students would not have a say in important decisions that will ultimately affect them the most.

 

As a Peel District School Board trustee, I have visited all 18 high schools that I represent and I have gotten to know all their student councils as well because I believe that you cannot represent people without knowing them. Due to this, I have been able to realize the flaws affecting students and I have taken steps to fixing them. I have standardized the student council budgets throughout the board, I have started, along with my partner trustee, our first student senate which consists of Student Council President’s from all high schools in Peel, and I have created and facilitated a leadership conference for middle schools students called MYLEAD which was a top story in one of our local newspapers in Brampton read by the over 600,000 residents.

 

On a provincial scale, I have spoken at a Canadian Education Association conference, attended an EQAO stakeholder seminar, and I have attended an Economic Roundtable with student leaders from across Canada. Being a student trustee has also sparked my interest in student government and I hope to get involved with the Student Union at university. Student’s need to be heard and my only hope is that I will leave a significant impact for student voice at the end of my term.