Question 3 – Zone 7 Response
Contents
The Question in brief
Response from:
– Kim Woods
The Question in Brief
This question comes from Charlotte Dwyer and Ny Holmes, two Grade 11 Ottawa secondary school students who recently organized Nepean High School’s successful walkout against Ford’s changes to the curriculum.
Their Question
What steps are you going to take to ensure that students feel they are heard in regards to their involvement in THEIR curriculum?
Kim Woods
If I am the successful candidate, I am committed to making an investment in youth and believe it will pay dividends because as they mature, they will be in leadership positions, making decisions. I would rather position myself as a positive influencer in their personal growth now, than stand by and let other determinants influence them (quite possibly in negative ways). Ultimately human beings have an innate desire to be part of something, to belong. As a positive player in the social arena, we have the opportunity to create the conditions of belonging to foster positive personal development, and we must seize every opportunity possible.
Youth engagement is relationship-based and rooted in young people’s right to have opportunities to share their ideas, ask questions, and be involved with designing and implementing educational plans and I would support this concept at the board level. Their engagement should be sustained over time so they can take action on their ideas and see the results of their contributions.