Who gets to be a leader? — If I were to be asked this question as a child, my answer would be a smart and strong adult; probably someone in a suit or that appears “put together.” Today, being asked this question, my answer would be anyone. I believe anyone can be a leader as long as they’re willing to work hard, put in the effort, and be resilient. Prior to this seminar, I did not know about FNMI youth leadership. In high school, I was a member of the social justice club in which we did fundraisers and hosted school activities regarding social justice. However, FNMI youth leadership wasn’t something we ever discussed. One of the seminar breakout groups talked about several different foundations that help with social justice issues, one of which I have volunteered with and have learned about in my high school’s social justice group. This was the Free the Children Foundation, best known for their event, WeDay. In grade nine, I learned about Craig Keilburger, the founder of Free the Children. At the time that he founded the company, I believe he was only around 13 years old. This was inspiring because he was youth empowering youth; Three years later, I had the opportunity to meet Craig. In addition, I also volunteered with a company called WaterCan that helps raise money to provide clean water to Africa. Unfortunately, something I did not learn about was FNMI youth leadership – Youth leadership within our own communities – or the fact that there are communities within our province that don’t have clean water.
I believe something valuable to touch on and explore would be FNMI youth leadership, especially those in our own local communities. Rather than just focusing on the big social justice companies, we should help raise awareness on the FNMI youth working to make a difference in our own communities or even inspire our own future students to be the leaders. As educators, it is our role to inspire and empower students, but we must make sure that we don’t take credit for their hard work and efforts. We shouldn’t assume that they need our help either. Instead of taking over, we should provide resources and support. Sometimes, the best thing you can do as an educator is to just let them know that we’re there to support them in their endeavors.