Yellowknife students took their seats in the legislative assembly last Thursday to debate issues in the NWT Youth Parliament.
Together with eight other young people from across the territory, 10 Yellowknife students made plans to train teachers on youth mental health, passed a motion on marijuana regulation and held a spirited debate on indigenous language learning.
It was all in a daySA国际影视传媒檚 work for for the Youth Parliament, an outreach program meant to educate Grade 9 and 10 students across the territory about consensus government and the role of the legislative assembly.
The students held meetings with sitting MLAs and participated in research and the discussions from May 8 to 12, giving them a foundation about how territorial politics work. After that, the passion they brought for the issues was their own.
Ivan Ceria, a Grade 9 student at Sir John Franklin High School, used his minister's speech to advocate for the homeless population in Yellowknife. This was a concern shared by Macayla Flett-DaCorte, a Grade 9 student at St. Patrick High School.
SA国际影视传媒淚 feel for them because I believe everyone should have a happy and stable life where theySA国际影视传媒檙e able to be in their homes and have money and take care of their families," she said. "And it just makes me upset that they canSA国际影视传媒檛 have that."
Anusha Sivakumar, a Grade 9 student at Sir John, called for new arsenic test around Kam Lake in her role as MLA for the area.
She said the experience of Youth Parliament will help her in her career as a doctor.
SA国际影视传媒淚t can help me get Northern perspective so I can come back to the North and help the community in medicine,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
Previously focused on science, Flett-DaCorte said the experience has gotten her interested in politics, a path she may take in the future.
Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart observed the students during the May 11 session. He said he was most inspired by their made-in-the-North plan to regulate marijuana.
"ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 a public policy issue thatSA国际影视传媒檚 near and dear to my heart," he said. "ISA国际影视传媒檓 hopeful that weSA国际影视传媒檒l be able to have the same kind of discussions when our legislature resumes."
The program normally takes seven students from Yellowknife to form a total of 19 representatives from across the territory. This year there were 10 students from Yellowknife and eight from across the territory.
The 15th Youth Parliament organized by the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories has a budget of $25,000.
