“There are opportunities for learning to go outside these four walls. There’s a chance for students to make an impact in their community.”
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They aren’t able to vote yet, but students from Miller Comprehensive High School are having their voices heard at Regina’s City Hall.
Sophia Young, a 16-year-old student, is part of the Miller Environmental Club and several other clubs focused on nature and the environment.
On Thursday she and three of her Miller classmates asked city council to consider reallocating money proposed for the Regina Police Service budget to instead go toward mental health services and or environmental programs and incentives.
Council did not still gave the police service the 4.2-per-cent increase it sought but a day earlier voted to use $500,000 from the city’s COVID-19 Relief Fund to offer additional support for harm reduction initiatives through the community investment grant program.
Young, who recited a poem called 16 And Afraid to council on Thursday, wanted council to do more in the immediate term to address climate change.
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“Climate change is already impacting us,” she said, adding that if countries and cities don’t address climate change it will be a bigger more expensive problem.
“It’s worrying to me because a lot of us don’t have a lot of money, a lot of us are really struggling during COVID times,” she said.
But the personal and individual impact of climate change has been a major motivator for Young, who has heard classmates’ concerns about a world with unchecked climate change.
“They’re scared,” said Young.
Joshua Campbell, a teacher and club supervisor at Miller, said for him it’s great to see his students taking part in politics. When he was a student, Campbell felt some frustration that a school assignment would be worked on, submitted, graded and then that was it.
“The assignment kind of ended with your teacher,” said Campbell, who feels students have the ability for more. “There are opportunities for learning to go outside these four walls. There’s a chance for students to make an impact in their community.”
The address to council was part of an in class assignment, but it was not mandatory for them to present to council, Campbell said.
“Councillors pay attention and they listen. They care what these kids have to say and that’s a credit to the councillors.”
While there wasn’t any new money for climate initiatives in the city budget, Young said it is reassuring in a small way that the city has a plan to become 100-per-cent renewable by 2050.
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“It’s a start. I’m happy that they’re even starting but it’s still a little disappointing,” she said.
Harley Tolver, 15, asked that council divert funds from police to frontline mental health services. Speaking from his own experiences Tolver said encounters with abuse can leave a long lasting impact on a person.
“If they want to stop root causes, addictions and suicides, there has to be more done,” he said.
While the tagline associated with the reallocation of police funds is often called “defunding police” Harley said ultimately “we still need police.”
But, people in difficult situations need help too.
“I’m not the first kid who has experienced this and I’m not the last kid either” said Tolver.
Even if the outcome wasn’t what students wanted, Campbell hopes the experience encourages them to keep fighting for the things they care about.
“Democracy isn’t just voting every four or however many years,” said Campbell.
“You have to be active in it.”
