Among student leaders gathered last week in Alberta, the Waterloo Region contingent, including EDSS, took a leadership role.
“The Waterloo Region was just awesome – the best by far. Our students seemed to be the most energetic, the most fun, the funniest. It was great,” said James Toronchuk, one of Elmira District Secondary School’s council co-presidents.
For four days last week more than 800 students and advisors from across Canada attended the 25th anniversary Canadian Student Leadership conference in Olds, Alberta. During the five day event, the delegates were able to meet with other school leadership groups from all 10 provinces and the Northwest Territories.
Students who attended the Alberta conference had the opportunity to learn how they could enhance the successful leadership programs already running in their schools. In addition, they made connections across the country with other young people interested in the same types of projects as themselves.
EDSS student council co-president Caelen Rank said that some of the best connections made, however, were with those students from right here in Waterloo Region.
“This was an awesome opportunity to talk to leaders of other schools in our neighbourhood. By the time we arrived home, we were like a little family.”
The conference was successful in bringing youth people together, said conference spokesperson Tara Sly.
“This truly is a national youth event. It brings together youth leaders in a place where they can share their passions for both leadership and helping people positively every day in their local and global communities.”
When the conference was in its early planning stages, one of its goals was to be one of the greenest Canadian Student Leadership Conferences held to date. With the support of Bullfrog Power Inc., a company who injects carbon-free green power onto the Alberta energy grid to match the amount of electricity used by this event, this seems to have become a reality.
The conference was a jam-packed event with a mixture of student workshops, keynote speakers, an opportunity to see Western landscapes, and a chance to experience a little “cowboy culture” at its best during a Heritage Day event at the Calgary Stampede.
Next year’s CSLC will be hosted by Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School in Montreal.
