Students ‘Speak Out’ about education
New student advisory council on education is formed
Edmonton... Students from across the province converged in Edmonton for the inaugural Speak Out-Annual Student Conference to share their views with Education Minister Dave Hancock about Alberta’s education system.
Hancock also announced the formation of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council on Education at the conference. This new council, composed of 24 students from across the province and representing diverse viewpoints, will meet with the minister several times a year to discuss students’ issues and concerns regarding education. In addition, the Minister announced the winners of the Speak Out-Student Video Contest.
“It is crucial that we speak directly to students so we get a more informed perspective of our education system as a whole,” said Hancock. “Encouraging students to speak openly and freely is integral to shaping future education initiatives in our province.”
Two hundred students from across the province attended the conference to capture their vision of education. A number of common themes emerged around improving the learning environment, a focus on students’ health, independent self-development for students, improvements to course material and integrating technology into the school system. This feedback will be shared within Alberta Education and other education stakeholders to assist with future planning.
The Speak Out - Alberta Student Engagement Initiative was launched in November 2008 as a way to communicate with students about their education. In addition to the 200 participants at the student conference, to date, the initiative has effectively engaged students through an interactive website, which has captured 4,000 posts; Speak Out Forums held at 37 high schools across the province reaching 1,567 students; and the Speak Out Video Contest where students voted for their favorite entry. For more information about the Speak Out-Alberta Student Engagement Initiative visit: http://www.speakout.alberta.ca/.
Meet the Minister’s Student Advisory Council
Education Minister Dave Hancock announced the formation of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council on Education at the inaugural Speak Out- Annual Student Conference in Edmonton.
The 24-member council represents a diverse representation of the student-body between the ages of 14 and 19 years from across the province, from high-achieving students to those who are disinterested in school. They will meet with the Minister of Education several times a year to discuss student issues, concerns and opportunities with Alberta Education.
To ensure a broad representation, the province was divided into 10 geographical regions. The Edmonton and Calgary zones, given their greater populations, have four members respectively. Similar student councils have been formed in other provinces and territories; however, unique to Alberta was the selection process, which was an open invitation to all students to apply for the council and an emphasis on ensuring representation from all geographic areas in the province. The first meeting of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council on Education will be heldin August.
Below is the list of youth representatives on the council according to region.
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Calgary Region |
Edmonton Region |
Grande Prairie Region
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Medicine Hat Region |
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Camrose Region |
Fort McMurray Region |
Lethbridge Region |
Red Deer Region |
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St. Paul Region |
Westlock Region |
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In addition, the Minister announced the winners of the Speak Out-Student Video Contest. The top five video submissions were featured on the Speak Out website where students could vote for their favorite entry.
1st place – Timothy Robinson, Vermilion, for his video, Back to Basics;
2nd place – Joshua Au-Yeung, Edmonton, for his video, Help Others Learn; and
3rd place – Harley Callon-Lenz, Vegreville, for the video, Changing Our World.
