Local high school student Tyson Shushkewich has recently been appointed to the Minister of Education’s Student Advisory Council for the upcoming school year as part of the Speak Out — Alberta Student Engagement Initiative.
The 14-year-old will be entering Grade 10 this fall and was encouraged to get involved by one of his former teachers.
“My social teacher, Amy Korver (spelling?), she gave me this paper. She suggested that I take part in it. I filled out a couple of questions, and then I sent it in over email. They called back saying they wanted to interview me, and then a couple of days later they interviewed me. A week or two later, they announced that I’d made it. They gave me a call, and now it’s on the website now and everything,” said Shushkewich.
The 24-member council is comprised of youth between the ages of 14 and 19 years, and will meet with the Minister of Education several times a year to discuss student issues, concerns and opportunities. The council is intended to represent a broad spectrum of the Alberta student body, both urban and rural, as well as high-achieving students and those who are disinterested in school.
“It’s going to be like a meeting kind of thing, and what you do is you learn training skills, and you meet with the minister of education,” said Shushkewich. “There’s all kinds of training that’s involved in it.”
Shushkewich intends to zealously represent the interests of rural school jurisdictions and rural students in his time on the council.
“I wanted to get involved, just because with all of the rural schools we have around here, because I represent a whole zone, I just want make sure that special programs, such as band and art, don’t get cut from those schools, since there’s not many kids in those schools, and so a lack of funding and stuff. Just how education works, and how education works around this area.”
Council members will act as ambassadors for Speak Out, receiving public speaking, leadership and facilitation training. Shushkewich will also be expected to host his own Speak Out forum in the community and report back to the Minister of Education on what he has heard from his peers.
“It’s just speaking training, and meeting training, and how to speak in front of audiences, and all of that type of information. I’m not too exact because they’re sending me the package with all of the information in it, and I haven’t received it yet.”
Shushkewich takes his role on the council seriously.
“Oh, yes. Especially just being one of the 24 kids--It’s a great honour. I just want to thank my social studies teacher for getting me involved, and my parents for supporting me the whole way.”
The first meeting of the council will be in October in Edmonton. For more information on the Speak Out — Alberta Student Engagement Initiative, visit http://www.speakout.alberta.ca/.