A grade 11 student from Holy Redeemer Catholic Jr/Sr Highschool has received provincial recognition for her acceptance into the Minister of Education’s Youth Council.
HRH student Maya Dalueg is one of 40 students from across the province to be selected to serve on this prestigious Council which is designed to provide opportunities for students to share input and perspectives on provincial programs and initiatives.
The application process involved answering questions on community involvement, sharing passions and unique perspectives and providing a history of leadership roles; but Dalueg says motivation and curiosity helped her push through the process.
“I was inspired to apply for the Minister’s Youth Council for a few reasons,” she says. “My first reason was my curiosity and hopes in learning more about our education system since it actively impacts my everyday life. Since this does largely impact my life, I wanted to provide my personal experiences within our education system and in doing so, from a rural perspective. A few months later I was selected out of the approximately 200 that applied for a Zoom interview. Another two months go by and I received my acceptance letter.”
The council held its first meeting in October in Edmonton where they covered several topics including the education system, student needs and mental health.
“We had presentations regarding leadership to advise us throughout the weekend as well as a presentation on Indigenous teachings,” Dalueg says. “We received a tour of the legislature and were accompanied by MLA Sinclair. We spent some time discussing and learning about the stakeholders in our education system and brainstormed common issues we see within our school and what stakeholders could play a role in assisting with this issue.”
Daleug says she got the most from a presentation from Alberta Health Services regarding tobacco and cannabis use by students.
“The most interesting workshop we participated in was by Alberta Health Services on tobacco, vaping, synthetic nicotine and cannabis use in and around schools. We reported on what we find is most commonly used, what location in terms of a school where it is most commonly found and the effects we are seeing it has on our peers. I believe all of our discussions were insightful and it was interesting to compare my educational experiences to others around the province.”
Maya has served on the Youth Council for several years, is an avid volunteer of the March 4 A Cure Program at HRH, is very involved with the Drama Department at HRH and works as a lifeguard at the Edson and District Leisure Centre, all while maintaining high achievements in her classes.
HRH teacher Peter Taylor says this experience will help Maya as she takes on this new challenge.
“Maya has all the attributes for being an excellent leader in our school and community,” says Mr. Taylor. “She is highly respected by her peers, and we can always count on her to bring her well thought out ideas to the table in such a mature manner. Our community should be very proud to have Maya as our representative on this council.”
Daleug believes she will be able to provide a unique perspective on the discrepancies between rural and urban areas during her time on the council.
“Coming from a rural area of the province and from a smaller school, I believe I am knowledgeable in this area,” she says. “Through talking to other students at the last meeting, I learned that almost all urban schools offer AP classes which in turn help once you get to university. At my school and many other rural schools, offering these courses is unheard of. We recognize this could be due to lack of staffing and hope to create incentives for rural work opportunities. Throughout the duration of the term I want to continue working towards opportunities for rural students. At the end of our last meeting, myself and other rural students had the privilege to express these concerns in a briefing note addressed to the minister of education.”
Maya will meet with the Youth Council again at the end of January.
