On October 4, 2019, the Queen’s Faculty of Education hosted our first annual Youth Forum and is currently on hold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Youth Forum: Youth as Agents of Social Change brings together students from local high schools who are leaders and activists in their school communities.
This forum is an opportunity to support young people working to make a difference in their local communities. To make this happen, we brought together students and teachers from 10 local high schools (3 students and 1 teacher per school). These schools participated in a day-long workshop at the Faculty of Education with guest speakers from organizations such as the United Way Youth Council and Youth 2 Kingston, and they were supported by school superintendents, faculty members, and graduate students.
The goal of the day was to help each school team identify an issue to address in their school or community this year. At the forum students brainstormed ideas around issues such as equity, mental health, climate change, and human rights. The next step is that each school will submit a project proposal and budget, and our Faculty will provide up to $1,000 of seed funding to help each project get started. The group will come together again in May 2020 to share what they have done to make a difference in their community.
The energy in the room was electric and the day unfolded with great excitement. We look forward to seeing the students’ projects unfold throughout the year.
Follow the Youth Forum’s progress throughout the year on Twitter: #Edyouth.